Midgar High
by Elle Azmarath
Summary: [AU]Aerith came to Midgar thinking that life was over. After starting classes at Midgar High and dealing with the good and bad of being a teenage girl she slowly realizes something. After coming to Midgar her life began. Multiple Het Pairings.
1. Welcome to Midgar

Author's Note: Hello hello hello! And SURPRISE!!! I bet none of you were expecting me to crank out another fic, let alone a... HIGH SCHOOL FIC!!!! I don't know what possessed me, but I was blindsided by inspiration and HAD to do this. It's been so long since I played FF7 last, and yet the game still speaks to me. Hopefully everyone is in character and all that. I mixed classic FF themes with modern day experiences and wound up churning this out.

Big time props to Sorceress Myst for turning me on to the idea of a high school fic with her awesome AlNel fic, "Aquios High", as well as helping me out like crazy with all the proofreading, editing, and suggestions. Don't ever leave me, Myst!!! Also a big thanks goes out to Dakyu for hearing out my idea for a FF high school fic when he's been hurt so many times before by poorly written ones. Be strong, Dak. This one is guaranteed to not suck so bad that you feel the need to disown me due to shame. And an uber mega mondo "THANK YOU!!!!!" to my mom. She was the inspiration for Ifalna's personality. What Aerith goes through in this fic is a lot like my own experience, and (like Aerith) I never would've been able to start feeling happy again after we moved if it weren't for her.

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and everything in it belongs to Square-Enix. I take no credit for any of their work, nor do I take credit for Sarah Dessen's novels, Bawls energy drink, or practically anything else in this fic. I do, however, own Rude's hair. Yay me. This is purely a work of fanfiction written by one of the biggest Final Fantasy lovers out there. Please don't sue me.

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Aerith Gainsborough looked over at her mother once again while she drove the two of them past another Mogbucks Coffee. There seemed to be one situated on a street corner every five minutes in this town. Why the executives at the Mogbucks headquarters thought this was a good idea was anyone's guess. Who in their right mind would spend what little money they had on an overpriced cup of java? Nobody in Midgar had 375 gil to spend on a mocha java grande frap with extra cream. These were the slums, not Costa Del Sol, for crying out loud. Aerith pondered the poor marketing strategy of the coffee super giant as she stopped at a red light and waited for it to change.

"Mom..." Aerith said softly as she continued to watch the light and contemplate overpriced coffee.

"Yes, dear?" Her mother, Ifalna Gainsborough, asked her daughter sweetly from the passenger's seat.

"I honestly think I may hate it here..." Aerith deadpanned as she accelerated when the light turned green.

"Aerith... Honestly. It's not that bad!" Ifalna lightly scolded.

"The air is polluted and smoggy, the people don't smile or wave, and there's too much coffee." Aerith said.

"What's wrong with coffee?" Her mother asked, trying to pretend that the other two issues her daughter had didn't exist.

"Moooooooom..." Aerith looked at her mother like she was stupid. "This place is awful and you know it".

"Sweetie... I know Midgar isn't the ideal place for us to be living, but we'll make this work. I promise... Now keep your eyes on the road." Ifalna said, slightly exasperated by her teenage daughter.

Aerith looked back to the road and tried not to groan. She loved her old school, Cetra Senior Preparatory Academy, and she missed her boyfriend.

Her mother had been through a lot, and Aerith was along for the whole thing. It all started when her dad, Professor Gast Gainsborough, had died during a research trip. He had set out to the Northern Crater excavation site to collect some geological samples for study and died mysteriously about a week later in the site's medical tent. The doctors thought it was radiation poisoning and abandoned the site, sending everyone who had been there to an advanced medical facility. Unfortunately the life insurance on Professor Gast was still being processed and all his funeral expenses had sent Ifalna into debt. Soon after she lost her job due to repeated absences at the Forgotten City Greenhouse where she was only making enough to get by with the skin of her teeth.

So Ifalna put up her house for sale and with the money from the sale she found a cottage in the slums of Midgar. The rest of the money she put into savings and only dipped into her meager account to pay bills. In the back of their station wagon were boxes packed to the brim with all the things the two women would immediately need. The rest of their belongings were being stored in the basement of Ifalna's aunt Elmyra's house until they could come and get them.

Aerith turned onto Holy Street when her mother told her to, although she forgot to signal. She had just gotten her learner's permit and her mother decided to use the long car trip from Forgotten City to Midgar to teach her daughter basic driving skills.

"There it is!" Ifalna exclaimed as she pointed to a weathered cottage at the end of the street.

Aerith parked in the driveway, narrowly missing the mailbox when she accidentally drove up over the curb. She looked up at her new house through the colorful splatters of bug guts on the windshield and did her best not to cringe. She had to question her mother's sanity momentarily for getting excited over such a beaten-up shack. Ifalna looked over and saw Aerith's expression.

"Aerith, please. This is a really nice place for how cheap I got it. There's even a garden!" Ifalna tried to convince her daughter that this new home was not a death sentence. Aerith could see how all the stress and sadness had taken it's toll on her mom. She'd lost a lot of weight, there were big purple bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, and gray had started growing in her beautiful dirty blonde hair.

"Okay mom. I'm sorry. I really do think it looks nice, I'm just sad about moving." Aerith felt bad for making things harder than they should be for her mom. She was already going through so much. A whiny teenage daughter was the last thing her mother needed right now.

Ifalna reached over and hugged her daughter tightly, trying not to cry. The last thing Aerith needed was for her to appear unhappy. She needed to set a good example. Aerith hugged her back, swearing to herself that she was going to adapt to this new lifestyle for her mom's sake.

"Okay, why don't we grab a few boxes and head inside? I'll show you your room." Ifalna unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the car, digging for the new house keys in her purse. Aerith stepped out of the car and walked around to unlock the trunk and started pulling the boxes out and setting them on the driveway.

The two of them carried a few boxes to the front door and set them back down on the front stoop as Ifalna fumbled with the keys. Eventually she was able to jiggle the door handle open and they picked their boxes back up. After several trips back and forth with the boxes the car was unloaded and the kitchen was full of cardboard.

"Okay... Since we have all the boxes in the house now I'll show you your room." Ifalna said, turning sideways and squeezing past a stack of boxes so she could get to the stairs. Aerith followed and winced as every step they went up creaked loudly. Ifalna stopped at the first door to the right of the stairs. "Here it is!" She said, motioning for Aerith to open the door and look inside.

Upon stepping through the doorway Aerith forgot how to breathe. The walls were painted her favorite color, petal pink, and it had already been somewhat decorated. Her old bed was pressed up against the wall with the headboard underneath the bedroom window. Next to the door a cherry wood armoire rested against the wall facing a cherry wood desk and a cushiony rolling chair. The floor was wooden, but beside the bed was an oval rug of the same shade of pink as her walls.

"I know it's not as nice as your old room, but I tried to make it as nice as I could. I had Elmyra come over here and help me decorate after we stored most of our stuff at her garage while you were at school. I hope this is a good surprise." Ifalna said nervously.

Aerith let out a choked sob and embraced her mother so tightly that she was having trouble breathing. "Mom... I l-love it!" Aerith whimpered, touched that her mother had gone to so much trouble for her. Ifalna stroked the top of Aerith's head and hugged her back, pleased that she was able to make her daughter happy again. Aerith looked up at her face and gave her the biggest and brightest smile she'd ever seen. "Thank you SO much. You're the best!!!" She cried, nuzzling her face in Ifalna's shoulder. "I love you so much, mom" She said, her words muffled by the sleeve of her mother's top.

"I love you too, Angel" Ifalna said, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. She kissed the top of her child's head and tried not to let her heart swell with too much hope. After all, this was only their first day in Midgar.

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A week after their arrival the Gainsboroughs had almost entirely moved in to their new home. Aerith had been more than helpful with everything, even sneaking behind her mother's back to repay Ifalna with a surprise of her own. Aerith knew Ifalna loved flowers and decided that a blooming garden would be the perfect addition to their cottage. On the second day of unpacking Aerith had snuck out to evaluate the garden when her mother had gone to lay down for a nap.

Instead of a garden, Aerith found a jungle of dead and rotting tomato plants. The sight of the mangled plant corpses was discouraging to say the least, but Aerith was on a mission. For two days she ripped the decaying flora from the soil and tilled what little fertile earth there was with the gardening tools they had brought with them from their old house. In a stroke of pure luck it seemed that the smog that billowed from the nearby Mako Processing Plant let up enough around their cottage for sunlight to filter through. Taking the beam of sunlight as a good omen, Aerith planted the flower seeds her mother had gotten for free from work. She then decided to square off a small part of the garden to devote entirely to vegetables, thought she made sure not to include tomatoes. She convinced herself that leaving out tomatoes was fine since they were actually fruit anyway.

Putting the knowledge her mother had passed down to her on gardening to good use, Aerith watered the plants daily, fed the soil with Chocobo Green Plant Food that she found in the small gardening shed at the back of the house, and even spoke to each little green bud that poked out from the soil. Blessed with a green thumb, Aerith was able to grow flourishing plants in record time. Eventually she was satisfied that the garden was ready to be seen by Ifalna.

The Sunday after they moved in, (They had arrived the Sunday prior), Aerith woke up and peeked out her window and down at the blooming garden that she had the perfect view of. She hopped out of bed, got showered and dressed, and then went to wake her mother.

"Mom..." Aerith shook her sleeping parent. "MOM!".

"MMmmm... Not right now... I'm unconscious..." Ifalna muttered from her pillow.

"Mom! Come on, I have a surprise for you!" Aerith urged, still gently shaking her mother.

"Is it coffee?" Her mother asked softly. "I'll get up if it's coffee..." she said.

Aerith huffed and ran downstairs to prepare some instant coffee for her mother, notorious for sleeping in. Once it was brewed and all the proper ingredients had been stirred into a coffee cup Aerith went to try and wake her mother up once again.

"Okay. Coffee is downstairs. Now get up!" Aerith moaned, throwing the blanket and sheets off of her mother.

"Ugh... FINE..." Ifalna groaned, slowly crawling out of bed and slipping on a bathrobe. She followed her daughter downstairs and walked over to her cup of coffee in a zombie-like trance.

"Good, you've got your coffee... Now are you ready for your surprise?!" Aerith pleaded.

Ifalna nodded and plodded out into the yard behind Aerith. The sunshine and plethora of vibrant color nearly made her go blind. She rubbed her eyes and grunted before actually understanding just what she was looking at.

"Oh my..." Ifalna gasped, and although she was dazed she could still sip her coffee. Which she did.

"You like it?!" Aerith's bright green eyes shined with hope and worry.

"I love it." Ifalna sighed as she looked over the variety of flowers.

Aerith let out a delighted squeal and proceeded to drag her mother around the garden, naming every plant and going into great detail about how she cared for each one. At the end of the garden tour Ifalna gave Aerith a gentle hug and a kiss on her forehead.

"Great job, sweetie. This is the perfect gift..." Ifalna said.

The single mother then went back into the house, set her empty coffee mug in the sink, walked upstairs, and dove back into bed.

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Ifalna had come across a brilliant bout of good luck when she had gone to Midgar Senior High School to enroll her daughter. Aerith was in her junior year of classes and luckily the school year had only just started and therefore she wouldn't be too far behind. As she discussed her daughter's situation with the school's principal, Principal Shinra, she was offered a job.

"So you say that you are unemployed, Mrs. Gainsborough?" The portly principal asked.

"Errr... Yes. That won't keep Aerith from getting in, will it?" Ifalna started to panic.

"Oh, no. Not at all. Many on the students here have rather unfortunate circumstances at home. The Mako plant just laid off hundreds of people and replaced them with machines, so several students have unemployed parents." Shinra explained bitterly. It was obvious that most of Midgar held ill will toward the upgrading factory.

"Oh... How terrible. I'm so sorry to hear that." Ifalna was genuinely upset for the sake of all the workers.

"Yes, it is quite a problem. I've been offering teaching positions to as many of the workers as I could with teaching experience. They're an odd bunch, but I have faith." The principal stated.

"That's wonderful! Have all the positions been filled?" Ifalna asked, thrilled that there was a bright side to the story.

"Actually there is one position left and I think you may be the perfect candidate. Our Home Economics teacher, Scarlet, got married over the summer and moved to Nibelheim. So far the only applicant I had was the wife of the local weapons shop owner. Between you and me, she can't even seem to boil water." Shinra whispered conspiratorially.

"Well, I'd be happy to teach. I needed to teach many of my customers at my old job about gardening and I have a college degree. My major was biology, but I did take several cooking and sewing classes." Ifalna tried to make herself out to be perfect for the position.

"Splendid! Just fill out an application and I'll have you give me a demonstration of a lesson. If I hire you I'll give you a copy of the curriculum and we'll fine tune all the details about pay and such." Shinra beamed. It seemed as though Ifalna had already been hired.

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"AERITH!!!!" Ifalna hollered as she flung open the front door.

Aerith rushed downstairs, worried that she was in trouble again for not putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. "Yeah, mom?" She asked, trying not to look guilty.

Ifalna wrapped her arms around her daughter and squealed. "I GOT A JOB!!!" She shrieked, causing Aerith to squeal too.

"You did! Doing what?!" Aerith asked excitedly.

"Well... I went to enroll you and I ended up getting hired as the home ec teacher!" Ifalna explained, bouncing slightly.

Most teenagers would be mortified to have their parents at school with them, but Aerith and Ifalna had a very close bond. Aerith was thrilled that she'd get to see her mother at school almost as much as she was thrilled that her mother got a job in the first place.

"That's awesome!" Aerith beamed.

"We both start school on Wednesday, but I have to go in Tuesday to set up my classroom. Wanna come and help? You'll get to explore your new school a little and find all your classrooms." Ifalna was bursting with energy.

"Sure! That sounds great." Aerith said.

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On Tuesday Aerith drove to school with her mother. They were careful to arrive while classes were taking place so they wouldn't get caught in the hallways with student traffic. Once the car was unloaded they set to work decorating the home ec classroom with colorful posters and banners. Ifalna was bubbling with excitement and she even practiced her introduction speech at the front of the classroom with Aerith sitting in the back to make sure she was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You're going to do great. I bet you'll become everyone's favorite teacher, mom." Aerith said, happy for her mother's good fortune.

Ifalna blushed and sat down at her desk, glancing at her computer. "I need to type up the class outline sheets and organize all the forms I have. There's still a good thirty minutes before the bell rigs for the next period, so how about you explore?" Ifalna offered. She handed Aerith her schedule and gave her daughter a wink and a thumbs up.

"Okay, I'll go look around as long as you promise not to do that in front of your students." Aerith begged, horrified by her mother's outdated encouragement antics.

"Oh come on! I'm not that bad." Ifalna laughed, aware of how she had embarrassed her daughter.

"Yes... Yes you are." Aerith said, totally serious.

Ifalna stuck out her tongue and then waved as Aerith started to leave.

"Love you, mom." Aerith said, trying not to smile like her mother was trying to make her.

"Love you too, Poopsie!" Ifalna laughed, making Aerith laugh too.

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Aerith looked down at her schedule and tried to imagine what her classes would be like. She was used to prep schooling and she wondered if public school would be anything like it. One big difference was that there was no school uniform. This posed a problem since Aerith really didn't want to commit some horrendous fashion faux pas, but she had no idea what was in style. As she stood in the center of a hallway intersection lined with hideous beige lockers she was startled by the sound of a low growl.

She whirled around to find herself face-to-face with what looked like a red lion with a bad haircut. On one of the lion's shoulders was a tattoo that read "XIII" in bold black roman numerals and below that was a tribal tattoo. There were more tattoos around its eyes and on its back leg. The beast's black mane was decorated with chocobo feathers and beads and it had decorative metal cuffs around its paws. Before she could really decipher any more of the lion's fashion statements it growled again; A deep rumble from the bottom of his throat.

"Uh...uh... G-good kitty... I'm not gonna hurt y-you... so p-p-please don't h-hurt me..." Aerith stuttered with fright, too scared to wonder just why there was a lion wandering the halls with questionable fashion sense in the first place.

So this is the fresh meat... Aerith heard a distinctive male voice in her head. She whipped her head around to look for the source of the voice but saw no one. Down here, girl said the voice.

Once again she looked around only to let her eyes land on the lion.

There you go. Now, are you lost?

Aerith's heart beat so hard she thought it would burst from her chest. The lion tilted its head to the side curiously and blinked.

"Are you... talking?" Aerith managed to squeak.

In a matter of ways, I suppose. The voice said in her head while the lion's eyes locked on hers and gave her a pointed look.

"Uh... okay then... well... um..." Aerith tried to think of something to say. The lion rolled its eyes in a very human fashion.

You aren't going insane, girl. I can speak into your mind.

Aerith made an indecipherable noise and nodded her head dumbly, then began to walk away robotically.

The lion watched her as she broke into a run and sighed to himself.

She acts like she's never seen a talking lion before

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Aerith didn't stop running until she collided with a solid form. The impact sent her reeling backwards and she landed sprawled out on the floor. "Oh... Oh jeez!!! I'm so sorry!!!" Aerith yelped as she checked to make sure the skirt she was wearing hadn't rode up and given a free show. She slowly crawled to her feet and looked at the person she had careened into.

Her jaw nearly dropped as she looked up into the most perfect pair of bright blue-green eyes she had ever seen. She had just run into possibly the most beautiful guy on the planet, who was currently looking at her with a mix of distaste and curiosity. His skin was smooth and pale, with gorgeous pink lips above a pointed chin. He had an aristocratic nose and high cheek bones that gave him the face of a male model. His hair and perfectly sculpted eyebrows looked like they were made of moonlight. His long bangs framed his face and the rest of his hair grew out to the center of his back.

Aerith swallowed back her drool.

The stoic figure was dressed in all black, which set off his skin and hair nicely. He was tall, around 6 feet tall, and he towered over her 5'5 stature. It appeared as if their collision hadn't even caused him to lose his balance slightly. Who was this guy and was he made of steel and sexy? Aerith had to wonder.

"Watch where you are going." the male said. His voice was deep and gravelly and Aerith was dying to find out how it would sound if he said her name.

"Right... I'm so sorry! Are you okay? There was this lion back there and... Well wait. Maybe there wasn't. It could have all been in my head. That actually seems more probable. I dunno. Does this school have a talking lion?" Aerith babbled nervously, not quite sure if she had the ability to shut up in the presence of such a handsome person.

"Stop talking." the man deadpanned.

Aerith suddenly remembered how to be quiet.

"The lion is Red XIII, but he goes by Red. He lives at the school and is our mascot. You know, Midgar Lions?" The silver-haired god spoke to her like she was mentally challenged.

"Oh." was all Aerith could think to say.

The handsome, if not arrogant, man gave her one last glare before walking away without so much as a wave. Aerith remained awestruck for a few more moments before she realized that she had just been treated like dirt.

"Hey..." She said with annoyance, though her indignation was a little belated.

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Aerith felt bad for freaking out when she met the school mascot. She decided to try and find the lion and start over again. She came across Red sniffing around the bottom of a beat up locker with disgust.

Spoiled egg salad sandwich... Does this boy not have a nose? The lion wondered.

"Ahem." Aerith cleared her throat to get Red's attention. "I'm sorry about my reaction. I wasn't expecting to see a um... lion..." Aerith explained weakly.

Not many are. Though you'd think they would. Midgar Lions and such. The lion seemed to relax in her presence.

"Yeah. The silver-haired guy I ran into said that too." Aerith said, blushing.

Sephiroth is skipping class again? Red looked annoyed.

"Oh... uh... I guess so..." Aerith said, unsure of how to act around an irritated lion.

You are new here. I'll show you around. Red XIII didn't ask, he simply walked over to her and looked up at her impatiently. What classes do you have?

Aerith looked over her schedule. It read:

P.E. - Gym - Zangan

Math - 718 - Wallace

Science - 216 - Hojo

Lunch/ Study Hall

English - 454 - Demos

History - 100 - Highwind

Web Design - Lab - Rui

Aerith read the schedule out for Red and the lion shook his head solemnly. Good luck with all of them. You'll need it.

"I will?" Aerith asked nervously.

Red didn't say anything, he just began walking to the nearest class, which was Jenova Demos' English class.

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Jenova Demos. Your English class.

Aerith chanced a quick peek through the narrow window set in the classroom door. She caught a glance of a forty-something woman with alarmingly pale skin, white blonde hair that hung limply around her face and reached down to her hips, and red looking eyes. She gasped, worried for the woman's health.

She's an albino. Red explained, sensing Aerith's distress.

"Oh..." Aerith said, still thinking about how sad the woman's face was.

The computer lab is just around the corner. Red said as he began to walk away.

Aerith caught up to him and walked along next to him, resisting the urge to pet the big cat. Once she had cleared the air with him she instantly felt fond of the stoic lion.

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Aerith watched a young woman type on a keyboard so fast that all she could see of her hands were flesh-colored blurs. Her hair was a similar shade to Aerith's, though she wore hers short and flipped out. She was wearing a black tank top and a black leather mini skirt with giant boots that ended just under the kneecap. Aerith wasn't too sure that her outfit was something appropriate for teachers. Maybe she was just a student sitting at the teacher's computer.

She's not a student. That is Shelke Rui, the graphic web design teacher. She's a technological genius... And possibly a robot. Red's voice sounded like he was only half joking.

"She's so young..." Aerith mused.

She earned her first college degree in computer sciences when she was fifteen. She's only twenty-two, but she's already graduated college with honors and has several degrees.

Aerith was impressed. She let out a soft "wooooow" and watched Shelke's fingers zoom across the keyboard with record speed.

Next. Red said, swatting Aerith's thigh with his tail to get her attention. It was obvious he didn't like being anywhere near the lab or its ingenious inhabitant.

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Aerith could hear a deep male voice shouting from all the way at the opposite end of the hall. As they got closer her eyes widened when she realized that over half of the things being bellowed were colorful cuss words.

This is as close as we go to Barett's room. Any closer and my ears start ringing. The loudmouth's name is Barett Wallace and he's your math teacher. Whatever you do, DON'T stare at his prosthetic arm. It's kind of shocking at first, but even then... Don't look at it. He'll rant forever if you do. Also, he has the mouth of a sailor. Don't scold him on it. If you do he'll just start ranting on free speech. Really, he rants no matter what. Red looked miffed.

"I DON'T F#$KCING CARE IF YO MOMMA WROTE A G&DAMN NOTE TO EXCUSE YOUR F#$CKING ABSENCE!!! YOU GONNA DO THE DAMN WORK AND YOU GONNA F#$CKING LIKE IT!!!! Damn l'il spiky-head punk-ass..." The voice barked angrily.

Aerith whimpered and took a few steps back. Red noticed and, forsaking his pride, he rubbed the side of his face against her hand reassuringly.

Don't pay any attention to his yelling. Barett's bark is far worse than his bite. He's actually a total pushover.

Aerith nodded softly, though she wasn't quite convinced as Barett dropped three more f-bombs.

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Red XIII nudged open the door to the gym with his nose and politely held it open for Aerith to step through.

"Why thank you." Aerith said, patting the gentlemanly lion on his head.

"Well look at what we have here! Red XIII has come to join in on today's jog, has he?" A muscular middle-aged man strode toward Red and Aerith, smiling brightly. He had kind eyes and a salt and pepper beard. Aerith automatically knew that this was a nice man just by the way Red XIII seemed to fully relax in the man's presence.

"Hello, sir." Aerith said, returning the man's smile.

"And who is this little cutie?" The man asked. He shot a gigantic hand out at Aerith and beamed as it enveloped her dainty hand in a firm handshake. "I'm Zangan... The finest gym teacher you'll ever encounter. Tell me, you play any sports?" Zangan asked.

"Err... I used to swim and I was on the tennis team..." Aerith offered.

Zangan frowned. "Well then, you're in a bit of a pickle. This school doesn't have a pool or tennis equipment... Oh well. I'm sure I'll find something for you. Maybe volleyball..." He mused.

"Umm... I don't mean to sound rude but... You don't have any tennis equipment or a pool? This school looked like it was actually pretty well funded with the new computers and all..." Aerith inquired.

Zangan frowned and Red growled. "That damn Shinra, if I didn't owe him for giving me this job I'd break his jaw!" Zangan barked.

The principal is funding this school with money earned from the Mako plant on the edge of town. He set up some kind of shady deal with them and they're paying him off. Red XIII muttered.

"I wouldn't be surprised is Shinra was behind the factory layoffs." Zangan muttered.

"My mom said he was nice... He did give her a job here." Aerith said softly.

"Your mom is that hot little dish of a home ec teacher?" Zangan asked, quick to change the subject.

Zangan! That's her mother, you dolt. Don't talk about her like some kind of tart! Red scolded the gym teacher.

"Yeah. Ifalna Gainsborough." Aerith said, politely ignoring Zangan's outburst.

Zangan's eyes darted from side to side and he leaned in to ask Aerith a question. "Is she married? I didn't see a ring..." he asked in a harsh whisper.

ZANGAN!!! The lion's shout of his name echoed in both Aerith and Zangan's minds.

"Uh... I need to see the rest of my classes. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Zangan." Aerith said as she began slowly backing away.

"Wait, let me give you my number so you can give it to her!" Zangan said, searching his pockets for a pen.

"That's okay... Maybe next time..." Aerith said, turning around and speed walking through the gym door with Red XIII on her heels.

Sorry. He can be a bit excitable at times. Red explained, sounding embarrassed.

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The smell of tobacco wafted from behind the door of Aerith's history classroom and a gruff voice could be heard talking about the fires that had once threatened to burn all of Nibelheim to the ground.

Cid Highwind. I can't stand it when he smokes. The smell burns the inside of my nose. Red XIII grumbled.

"He's smoking during class?!" Aerith asked with surprise.

Try telling him not to and see how far that gets you. Cid is a stubborn mule almost as addicted to tobacco as Barett is to foul language.

"I see..." Aerith said, straining to hear if any of the students were coughing.

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The door to Aerith's science class was open and at the front of the class sat a familiar face.

"Professor Hojo?!" Aerith said with shock.

A scrawny man with oily brown hair pulled back into a tight ponytail and a pair of glasses perched on his rather pointed nose looked up at Aerith from the pile of papers he had been mulling over. She could hear the students starting to buzz with chatter but it ceased the instant Hojo shot a glare at them. The gangly man got up from his seat and seemed to slither toward Aerith and Red.

"Miss Gainsborough... What a... an unusual surprise..." Hojo hissed as he pushed his glasses back up from where they had slid down on his nose. He shot a disgusted glare at Red, who had his hair standing on end and was showing his teeth.

"Hello Professor." Aerith said politely, but with a hint of fear.

"I take it you and your mother moved here from Forgotten City. Too many memories of dear old daddy?" Hojo said with a cruel smile.

"Actually, we've dealt with our grief fairly well. It was a shame you couldn't come to father's funeral." Aerith said, her tone containing venom.

"I had much more important prior engagements." Hojo explained. "Now, as interesting as it is to see you are attending the school where I now work, I have a class to teach. So... Go on. Shoo..." He said with a sweeping hand gesture.

Aerith ground her teeth as she walked away, her footsteps having become heavy and deliberate.

I take it you know that snake? Red managed to pry.

"That... loathsome... swine..." Aerith growled. "He may not have been at the funeral, but I'm sure he visited my father's grave so he could dance on top of it..." she said in a voice so strained and bitter Red was only able to hear it because of his enhanced feline senses.

Apparently you know him quite well... The lion mused humorlessly.

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Red showed Aerith the cafeteria, library, and main office before leading her back to her mother's classroom. Aerith asked him to go in with her so that Ifalna could meet him.

"I'm back!" Aerith said as she walked into the room with Red XIII at her side.

Ifalna let out a squeal of delight when her eyes landed on the red lion. She launched herself up from her chair and got to her knees in front of Red, staring him in the eye.

"What a noble beast! You are just the most handsome creature I have ever seen!!!" Ifalna cooed as she ran her fingers through Red's mane.

Aerith snickered as Red shot her an annoyed glare. This was certainly not what he'd been expecting.

"Mom... This is Red XIII. He's the school mascot ...err... guardian." Aerith amended her introduction. "Mom studied biology in college and did a lot of work with advanced creatures. She always told me her favorite specimens to work with were the big cats. I figured she'd be thrilled to meet you. You're a heck of a lot better than the cuahls that tried to kill her every time she looked them in the eye." Aerith explained.

Anything is better than those feline jackals. Red deadpanned.

"AMAZING!!! You've got telepathic abilities!" Ifalna exclaimed.

The grown woman cooed and petted the unamused lion, over-reacting to every little detail about the genetically enhanced feline. Aerith wasn't of much help to Red. She couldn't stop giggling every time Red rolled his eyes as her mother let out another delighted squeal.

Once Ifalna had fawned over every single minute detail about Red XIII at least twice she insisted on setting up a bed next to her desk for Red to rest on any time he desired. She pulled out the lumpy oversized pillow meant to be used as an example of what not to do when making a pillow during her sewing unit and set it down. She held her breath as she watched the lion sniff the makeshift bed and then lay on it to test it.

It seems acceptable. Red said as he folded his front paws and rested his head on top of them.

Ifalna let out the breath she had been holding in an exuberant laugh and clapped her hands together jovially.

"Okay then. From now on you just rest there any time you like, Red!" Ifalna said, barely able to suppress her glee.

"Mom... Leave him alone." Aerith scolded, finally sticking up for her new friend once her laughter subsided.

"Right... Right... I'm so sorry!" Ifalna said, still filled to the brim with energy but embarrassed by her poor control of her jubilation. She had the decency to blush about it and apologized again to Red, who appeared to have dozed off.

Ifalna quietly collected the tings she needed to take home with her and tiptoed out of the room ahead of Aerith. The teenage girl crouched down next to Red and smirked when he opened one eye to look at her.

Is she gone? He asked, making Aerith laugh some more and pat him on the head sympathetically.

"You'll get used to it." Aerith explained as she got to her feet and walked out the door to join her mother.

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That night Aerith couldn't seem to fall asleep and she eventually gave up trying. She turned on her desk light and started up her computer, silently thanking her mother for spending the money on getting DSL. Once her desktop screen appeared, (Her desktop background was a picture of her with her dad when they went to the Icicle Lodge on vacation.), she clicked on the icon for her Instant Messenger, (Moogloo). She was pleased to see that she wasn't the only one online. "SwordBastard", her ex-boyfriend Zack Fair's screen name, was highlighted and a chat window popped up from him. Aerith grinned and happily began a conversation under her own screen name, FlowerGurl.

SwordBastard: Hey there, Pinky.

FlowerGurl: lol. Hey Spiky Mullet.

SwordBastard: Ha! You can't call me that anymore! I got a haircut after you left to display my grief.

FlowerGurl: Are you sure it's not bcuz your mom made you?

SwordBastard: ... That too.

FlowerGurl: lol. Thought so.

SwordBastard: I really do miss you, though.

Aerith read his statement over and over, feeling just how serious his words were. She hated that she had to move and leave such a great guy behind. Zack had been her boyfriend since the middle of their freshman year. When she realized she had to move she decided to break things off. They were too young to be bogged down with a long-distance relationship, no matter how much they liked each other.

SwordBastard: Aerith?

FlowerGurl: Sorry... I was just thinking.

SwordBastard: Uh-oh... Should I head for the bomb shelter?

FlowerGurl: Very funny. No, really. I'm laughing. Ha ha ha.

SwordBastard: Glad to know my sense of humor hasn't abandoned me with you gone.

FlowerGurl: I miss you too, Zack.

SwordBastard: Really?

FlowerGurl: Really.

SwordBastard: Really Really?

FlowerGurl: Yes!

SwordBastard: Are you suuuuure?

FlowerGurl: Suddenly not as much as I was...

SwordBastard: You wound me. TT

FlowerGurl: You know it.

SwordBastard: Sucks that you aren't still here. Now the crazy girls are swarming around me again.

FlowerGurl: You ladykiller.

SwordBastard: Chicks dig me. I can't help that I'm irresistable.

FlowerGurl: And modest too...

It hurt Aerith to be speaking with Zack on such familiar terms. She still cared about him to the point where part of her was wishing he'd just come and kidnap her. She missed his jokes and his smile even though she saw it every time she closed her eyes. Life could be so cruel at times.

FlowerGurl: I start school tomorrow. Mom got a job as the home ec teacher there, too.

SwordBastard: Niiiice... I wouldn't be surprised if she had a few of her male students crushing on her. Your mom is hot.

FlowerGurl: ZACK!!!

SwordBastard: What?! It's a compliment! Besides, you're still way hotter.

FlowerGurl: Actually the gym teacher tried to give me his number to pass on to her.

SwordBastard: Smoothe move...

FlowerGurl: lol.

FlowerGurl: OH!!! And there's a lion!

SwordBastard: A real one?

FlowerGurl: No. A stuffed one that just so happens to be able to move around and talk. Yes, a real one!

SwordBastard: Cool... Has your mom seen it?

FlowerGurl: Uh-huh.

SwordBastard: Poor lion. I feel for it.

FlowerGurl: The heart bleeds.

SwordBastard: gtg. My dad saw the light on in my room. I'll ttyl. Good luck!

FlowerGurl: Thanks.

SwordBastard: Stay sweet.

FlowerGurl: Night, Zack.

Zack signed off and Aerith stared at the screen for a while longer before logging out herself and shutting down her computer. She hoped Zack hadn't gotten in trouble for staying up late. His dad was kind of strict about getting plenty of rest on school nights. She switched off her desk light and crawled back into her bed, thinking about her old life in Forgotten City and her old school. She fell asleep thinking about Zack and dreamed that he had moved to Midgar to be with her. She woke up to her alarm going off filled with bitter disappointment.

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"AERITH!!! COME ON!!! I CAN'T BE LATE AND NEITHER CAN YOU!!!!" Ifalna shouted up the stairs.

"I'M ALMOST READY!!!" Aerith shouted back.

In reality Aerith wasn't ready at all. She had only just gotten out of the shower and only had on her underwear and bra. She flung open her armoire and searched desperately for something, anything, to wear. Eventually she grabbed a pink turtleneck that was one size too big for her and a pleated red skirt. She pulled on a pair of pink knee socks that bagged around her ankles and shoved her feet into her favorite pair of brown boots. Her mother hated the boots, saying they looked like they belonged to a bum, but to Aerith they were the coolest and most comfortable boots on the planet.

She grabbed her schoolbag and sprinted down the stairs, pleating her chestnut brown hair into a loose braid that began at her shoulders and ended slightly below her hips. Her bangs fell in her eyes and she had two wild curls that framed her face, falling in front of her ears no matter how many times she brushed the troublesome curls back.

"There you are. How many times did you have to change your outfit this time?" Ifalna teased.

"Not as many times as you." Aerith shot back as she added the finishing touch to her ensemble. She wrapped a dark leather cord around her neck a few times and tied it in a limp bow that sagged toward her collarbone. The makeshift choker had been one of the last gifts given to her by her father and she wore it every single day.

"Ugh... Aerith. I can't believe you're wearing those hideous boots on your first day!" Ifalna groaned.

Aerith just rolled her eyes and shook her head as she grabbed the car keys and headed out the door. Ifalna huffed and locked the front door behind her before joining her daughter in the car. Aerith already had the engine running and the radio churning out alternative rock.

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Aerith kissed her mother on the cheek and wished her good luck before heading to her fist class. She hoped Zangan wasn't going to try and give her his number to pass on again. It was just too weird. Two years since her father's death and yet Aerith still felt like her mom wasn't ready for any dating.

She headed into the girl's locker room and found a locker that hadn't been claimed. The rule was that students would need to buy their own locks for their gym lockers. Aerith pulled out a neon pink combination lock and hooked it in place on the locker door. She set her bag in the locker and started changing into her gym clothes. The class required a plain white t-shirt, cotton shorts, and sneakers. Aerith's shorts and sneakers were red and she switched her knee socks for plain white socks. Upon shutting her locker and locking it she was startled to see someone had been standing behind her open locker door.

"Hi." Said the girl. She was Aerith's age, but a little taller with straight dark brown hair and bangs that she brushed to the side. She had a pretty tan and violet eyes that seemed to sparkle. Probably the most noticeable, (And most disturbing thing to notice.), was the girl's well developed chest which she pushed out once she noticed Aerith looking at them with disbelief.

"Like them? They're real, y'know? Contrary to popular belief." The girl said, taking Aerith's hand and shaking it. "I'm Tifa Lockheart. You must be the new girl. What was your name again? Aeris?" The busty beauty asked.

"Oh, actually it's Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough." Aerith said, not sure what to make of her new acquaintance.

"Nice to meet you, Aerith. Sorry if I put you off with my bluntness... I don't like to beat around the bush." Tifa explained.

"No, it's okay. I understand. It must be annoying having people ogle your chest all the time." Aerith said sympathetically.

"THANK GOD!!! Someone who understands all the crap I have to go through!" Tifa exclaimed, slapping Aerith on the back as a friendly gesture that accidentally knocked the wind out of her. "OOops! Sorry. Sometimes I don't know my own strength." Tifa blushed.

Aerith gave her an understanding nod as she gasped to fill her lungs back up with air. Once she had recovered the two girls headed out into the gym and joined the rest of the class. Zangan already had everyone doing stretches before the bell had chimed for class to start. A few minutes after it rang he blew the whistle around his neck and clapped his hands a few times.

"Okay everyone. Today we'll start our unit on volleyball. Lockheart! I'm putting you in charge of explaining all my rules to the new girl and when you're finished you can both join the game." Zangan said. Aerith tuned out the rest of his speech as she turned to Tifa.

"Hmmm... Okay then. Second semester of this class is the Health unit. Basically we get to sit in a classroom and talk about things we enjoy that are bad for us. Sex-ed is really fun because it isn't split into boys and girls and we all get a kick out of nailing Zangan with stupid questions. That's really all you need to know... So... How about we just sit here and gossip until Zangan realizes that I'm not talking to you about his class and he yells at us to go play volleyball?" Tifa asked with a sly grin.

"Sounds good to me." Aerith said with an appreciative smile. She was grateful to Tifa for extending her friendship so quickly.

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Aerith was beginning to freak out. After changing out of her gym clothes and heading to her locker she had somehow gotten turned around and had no idea how to get to her math class. The idea of her teacher yelling at her had her in a panic. The bell had already gone off and she was alone in the hallway.

"Oh jeez... I'm dead. I'm so dead..." Aerith whimpered to herself as she walked down the halls and read the numbers on the doors. She let out a startled yelp as she narrowly avoided bumping into someone as she turned a corner. Once again she found herself looking up at the silver-haired guy she collided with the day before.

He didn't look too happy to see her.

"Didn't I tell you to watch where you're going?" He grumbled.

Aerith was too relieved to find someone who might be able to help her to be sucked in by his good looks. "Thank goodness... I'm sorry I almost hit you... Again... But can you help me? I forgot how to get to my math class." She said nervously.

"I can help you... Not sure if I will help you, but I can." Sephiroth, that was what Red had called him, said with a cold smirk.

Aerith narrowed her eyes at him and poked him in his chest. "You are not a very nice person. I said I was sorry, okay? So, can you please stop treating me like a lesser being and be nice for a change of pace?!" Aerith snapped.

"I can but..." Sephiroth's smirk widened.

"RRRGH!!!" Aerith growled with frustration. "Forget I even asked! Have a nice day, you big jerk!" She said as she began to storm off in search of her math class.

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It had been five minutes since Aerith had encountered Sephiroth and she had no clue if she was any closer or further away from her classroom. While math was probably her least favorite subject she preferred it to wandering the empty halls aimlessly.

"Hey girl!" Someone called.

Aerith turned her head to see a group of students walking toward her. All of them wore black except the one she assumed had called to her, who was dressed in a white suit. Aerith prayed she'd have more luck getting directions from these students than she'd had with the infuriating Sephiroth. The group consisted of a thin guy with shocking red hair pulled back into a ponytail, a tall black fellow with a huge bushy afro that was wearing sunglasses, a petite blonde girl with sharp golden eyes, a tall and muscular Asian guy with long dark brown hair and a dot in the center of his forehead, and the guy in white who had stylish blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

They were all staring at her and she shifted uncomfortably under their gaze. "Umm... Hi." Aerith said.

"You do realize that loitering in the halls is worth a detention, right? Got a hall pass?" Asked the blonde male, obviously the leader of the group.

"Well... Actually I'm new here and I got lost so-" Aerith tried to explain but the girl in the group cut her off.

"Rufus, stop scaring her. She's obviously new and even more obviously lost." The girl said before looking back at Aerith. "I'm Elena Fairchild. The guy trying to revive the seventies is Rude Meadows. The French fry with ketchup on top is Reno O'Hare-" Her introduction was cut off momentarily by the redhead.

"Stop calling me that!" He whined.

Elena continued without paying him any mind. "Suave Ghandi here is Tseng Hui and the hotshot is Rufus Shinra." Elena said, smirking as all the guys short her annoyed glares.

"We're the Turks, the disciplinary committee for this fine educational facility." Rufus said with a seductive drawl as he looked Aerith up and down like a piece of meat.

"He's only talking up this dump because his dad's the principal." Reno said with a wink.

"Miss Gainsborough, is it true that you are lost?" Said Tseng formally.

"Uh... Yes. I forgot the way to my math class. Mr. Wallace in room 718?" Aerith prayed that she would be helped.

"Tseng, how the hell did you know her name?" Rufus asked as he turned his back to Aerith and glared at his friend.

"Student records. Full name Aerith Gainsborough, high school junior, transferred from Cetra Prep, mother Ifalna Gainsborough a.k.a. the new home economics teacher... Need I continue?" Tseng asked sarcastically.

Reno let out a low whistle and Rude chuckled darkly. Rufus muttered some choice words, not happy that his second-in-command had upstaged him.

"Enough background info. Let's get her to class already!" Elena said as she walked over to Aerith and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "C'mon. I'll show you how to get to Mr. T's classroom." She said with a smile.

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Elena hit the nail on the head when she had jokingly referred to Barett Wallace as "Mr. T". The stocky and muscular black man could have been his long lost twin. They even had the same distinctive voice. The Turks had escorted Aerith into the classroom and Tseng was currently explaining her tardiness.

"Well if that ain't just a stty way to start her f#$cking first day." The burly teacher said gruffly. He looked at Aerith with sympathy and a warm smile. "Don't you worry 'bout nothing, honey. I ain't gonna f#$king eat you." He laughed.

Aerith let out a nervous chuckle and nodded. The Turks waved goodbye and Elena gave her a sheet of paper with her cell number and email address.

"You go ahead and sit between Jessie and the gdamn vampire while I get you a copy of the worksheet we're doing." He said as he pointed to a chair situated between a friendly looking redheaded girl and a gloomy looking guy with a red scarf covering the bottom half of his face.

Aerith sat down and smiled back at the girl as she got out a pencil.

"So you got in good with the Turks, huh? Way to go!" Said the girl. "I'm Jessie Cooper. Not Jessica. EVER." She said, suddenly turning serious.

"Aerith Gainsborough." The fairly shaken new girl responded.

"Cool name. Tall, dark, and gloomy on your other side is named Vincent Valentine. He's not much for conversation, he's more interested in sulking." Jessie said.

The black haired boy nodded at Aerith once and returned to his worksheet.

Jessie continued to make small talk and gave Aerith her cell phone number and email. While Aerith was jotting down her own information to give to Jessie and blonde boy stumbled into the classroom and slumped down in his seat.

"Nice work, Cloud. He'll never know!" Jessie hissed sarcastically.

The blonde turned around in his seat and gave Jessie the finger before noticing Aerith. "Hey, who's the new eye candy?" He asked, pointing his extended middle finger at Aerith.

"Stop flipping the bird before you poke an eye out, you putz. This is Aerith Gainsborough. Aerith, may I introduce you to Chocobo Butthead, also known as Cloud Strife in some circles." Jessie said matter-of-factly.

"Will you quit ragging on my freaking hair? It looks cool, for the thousandth time!" Cloud groused.

Aerith was suddenly hit by a wave of familiarity. Cloud looked like he could be Zack's doppelganger. She didn't realize that she was staring at him until he winked at her and smiled devilishly.

"Like what you see, sweetheart?" He flirted.

"OH GOD!!! I think I'm going to barf! Cloud could you PLEASE keep it in your pants for at least five minutes?! You're such a manwhore..." Jessie yelled.

Aerith looked at Vincent to see how he was reacting to Jessie and Cloud's verbal battle. His red eyes caught her emerald green ones and he raised an eyebrow to express that he was entertained. Aerith nodded and gave a small smile then scribbled down a quick note and passed it to him.

It read:

Who usually wins?

He wrote down a reply and passed it back to her. Under her messy looped handwriting it read in small neat print:

Jessie, so long as Cloud doesn't bring up Biggs and Wedge. Love triangle.

Aerith nodded and scribbled down another note before passing it back.

She put down:

Fifty gil on Jessie.

Her response was Vincent pulling out fifty gil and setting it down on the corner of his desk closest to her. She followed his example and mirrored his actions. Five minutes later Cloud couldn't come up with a comeback to shout at Jessie and Vincent dropped his fifty gil on top of Aerith's. She gave him a victorious smile and pocketed her earnings.

Suddenly Barett burst through the door and grumbled about the copy machine being a piece of crap, though his use of words was a bit more colorful. He passed Aerith the worksheet with his metal hand, that Aerith was careful not to look at, and then smacked Cloud on the back of his head.

"You think you f#$cking slick, don't you? Try pulling that st again and we'll see just how damn slick you are, you l'il son of a bitch." Barett threatened before sitting back down at his desk.

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As Aerith walked out of her math classroom chatting with Jessie she was surprised to see Reno and Rude standing outside the door. Reno gave her a casual salute and Rude nodded at Jessie.

"Looks like you've got a police escort to your next class." Jessie joked as she waved and headed toward her own class.

"Tseng said that you've got Hojo's science class next. Me and Rude are in the same class so Elena suggested we show you the way." Reno said, politely taking Aerith's bag for her and leading the way.

"Wouldn't want you getting lost and running into the big bad wolf." Said Rude, making Reno laugh.

"I wouldn't call Sephiroth a wolf... He's more like a uh... Whatchamacallit..." Reno tried to think up the word for the animal he had in mind.

"A whatchamacallit? I forgot just how eloquent you are." Rude chided.

"Stop with the big words, Rude. I'm trying to think!" Reno snapped.

"Notice how he said he was TRYING to think..." Rude whispered to Aerith, making her giggle.

"Crap... I can't think of what the hell they're called." Reno muttered.

They had arrived at Hojo's classroom just as the bell rang. Rude and Reno sat at one of the tables next to each other. There were two seats to each table and the only available seat was in the middle of the room next to a very familiar face.

Aerith frowned as she sat down next to Sephiroth and fished through her bag for her class supplies. Hojo began his lecture on basic biology, starting off with showing some slides on the projector of single-celled organisms. Aerith took notes and even did little sketches when she felt it would be helpful to know what certain cells looked like.

"Miss Gainsborough! Please tell the class a few cases in which bacteria could be considered beneficial." Hojo suddenly ordered, looking like the cat who ate the canary.

"Huh?... Oh! Uh..." Aerith flipped back through her notes looking for anything helpful but Hojo began to speak again.

"MISS Gainsborough. If you were intelligent you'd realize that I haven't covered the benefits of bacteria yet. I had simply assumed that your GENIUS father had taught you something useful. Apparently I overestimated dear Gast. What a pity." Hojo said with a wicked sneer.

Aerith swallowed back her rage and dug her fingernails into her palms. Hojo continued on with the lesson, seeming happier now that he had upstaged his dead rival. Sephiroth noticed her hands and cringed.

"You're bleeding..." He hissed at her.

Sure enough Aerith had dug her nails so far into the skin of her palms that she'd drawn blood. She uncurled her fists and looked for something to wipe the blood on. Sephiroth suddenly handed her a dark blue handkerchief and when she simply stared at it, not believing that he was actually doing something nice, he grabbed her hands and wiped them himself.

"Insipid weakling. You let a vulture like Hojo pick you apart like that? Pathetic..." Sephiroth droned.

Aerith just sat on her stool staring blankly at the front of the classroom with his handkerchief pressed against her cuts. She wouldn't give Sephiroth or Hojo the satisfaction of seeing just how much their actions effected her. She would not cry.

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"Yo Aerith, you okay?" Reno's worried voice brought her back into reality.

"I'm fine." She said automatically.

Neither of the Turks looked convinced, but they let it drop and walked with her to the cafeteria.

"AERITH!!!" Shouted a female voice. Tifa came jogging up to her and handed her a scrap of paper with her name, cell number, and email. Aerith bemusedly added it to her growing stack of friend information. "I forgot to give you my number. Sorry... I didn't mean to come running at you, I just didn't want to miss the chance to give it to you again before I forgot." Suddenly Tifa seemed to notice Reno and Rude, looking at them as if they hadn't been there all along. "You're pals with the Turkies?" She asked, surprised.

"Tifa, stop calling us that already. It's old. And annoying." Reno grumbled.

Tifa stuck out her tongue at him and grinned. "Sorry. Force of habit." She said cheekily.

"Elena has the same English class as you so she's gonna walk you to it after lunch. Then I'll walk with you from there to history. You're on your own for your elective though." Rude explained.

"Okay. Thank you all for going to so much trouble to help me." Aerith said.

"Think nuthin of it, ma'am..." Reno grinned as he adjusted an imaginary cowboy hat and spoke in a poor imitation of a southern drawl.

The two boys went over and sat with the rest of the Turks at a table in the back. Tifa turned to Aerith and started dragging her toward a different table that already looked pretty crowded. Aerith recognized a few of the people sitting at the table. Vincent was being poked repeatedly by a young brunette as he tried to eat his Salisbury steak. Jessie and Cloud were bickering while a slightly chubby boy sat between them and tried to break them up. Another unfamiliar boy was cheering Jessie on and throwing in a few insults himself. Tifa cleared her throat loudly and waved her arms at Aerith like she was a prize on a game show.

"Everyone, this is Aerith Gainsborough." Tifa said excitedly.

Cloud, Jessie, and Vincent all looked up at her and waved. Actually, Vincent just nodded his head toward her, but that was his version of a wave. The young girl next to him shot a nasty glare at Aerith and wrapped her arms around Vincent's shoulders.

"MINE!!! Vinny is mine!" Said the girl viciously.

"That's Yuffie Kisaragi. She's a freshman, but we let her hang around us because... Well because she refuses to leave really..." Said Tifa.

"I'm Biggs Thomas and the guy trying to break up the lover's spat is Wedge Gonzalez." Said the guy who had been helping Jessie with her verbal spar.

"WE'RE NOT LOVERS!!!" Cloud and Jessie shouted in unison while Wedge waved at her meekly from between them.

"It's nice to meet you all." Aerith said politely.

After going up into the cafeteria food line with Tifa she had picked out a slice of pizza, a bottle of pink lemonade, a bag of Chocobo Cheesy Chips, and a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar. The two of them made their way back to the table and had a conversation about how Red XIII had been seen earlier that day growling at Hojo. As Aerith picked at the last few bits of her lunch she saw Sephiroth leaving the cafeteria.

"It was nice eating with you guys but I have to go return something to someone really quick. I'll be right back, okay?" Aerith said as she got up from her seat with her tray.

"Sure... Just try not to get lost." Jessie joked.

Aerith dumped her tray and quickly left the cafeteria, hoping to catch up with the last person she really had any desire to talk to. She saw him up ahead entering the library and slowed down from her run to enter through the doors quietly. She saw Sephiroth browsing a shelf in the fiction department and silently walked over to him.

"I had a feeling someone was stalking me." He muttered.

"Don't flatter yourself. I just wanted to get this back to you." She said back in a whisper as she handed him his now blood-stained handkerchief.

"How sweet of you." He said sarcastically as he eyed the cloth with blatant disgust.

Aerith suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder yank her backwards harshly. She stumbled back but was able to regain her balance. She found herself surrounded by the pretty boy version of the three bears. The "Papa bear" was a tall and heavily muscled fellow with what looked like a spiked silver version of Elvis' hairstyle. Next to him stood the "Mama bear"; A grinning effeminate boy with long silver hair that fell over one eye. Lastly was the most normal looking one of the group. The "Baby bear" had shoulder length silver hair and creepy cat eyes.

"Uh... hello..." Aerith said, not liking any of the looks being directed at her.

The feminine looking one grabbed her by the chin and leaned toward her for closer inspection. "Such a sharp tongue for such a pretty flower." He snickered as Aerith shoved him away from her.

The large one grabbed her by her arms and picked her up so that she was eye level with him. "Hmph... She ain't as pretty as Tifa." He said as he let go of her and watched her drop to the floor.

"My my my... You have quite the audacity daring to speak to Lord Sephiroth in such a manner." Said the cat-eyed one as he bent down to get a good look at her. He reached out toward her, making her flinch, and tucked her trademark curls back behind her ears before forcibly turning her head to the side and whispering "Just how should we punish you?" into her ear.

"That's enough." Said a commanding voice. All of them looked up to see a highly annoyed Sephiroth. "Kadaj, when are you and Loz and Yazoo going to learn that I don't need you doing me any favors?" He demanded.

Kadaj got to his feet and walked over to Sephiroth. "My Lord, we were just going to teach this insolent bitch the proper way to address you..." He said with dramatic hand gestures for emphasis.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "When have I ever needed a kiss ass brown-noser and a shemale to do anything for me?" He seethed.

"What about me? Do me next!" Loz said, wanting to get his own special insult from Sephiroth. He remained ignored.

"Let the little girl do as she pleases. She is of no importance or concern to me." He said dismissively.

Aerith finally spoke up as she clambered to her feet. "Just what the heck is this? Are you some kind of cult leader or something?!" She yelped.

"WE are the Zealots... Devout followers of the great Lord Sephiroth and his most faithful servants." Snarled Kadaj.

"Please... They're just glorified fanboys and an overall menace." Sephiroth said with a humorless laugh.

Aerith glared at the three wannabes and pointed at them angrily. "Just what kind of pathetic creeps are you that you feel the need to take after this jerk!?" She said as she pointed at Sephiroth. "How about showing some dignity and being yourselves? Picking on people just because they decided to stand up to your precious idol... You should be ashamed!!!" She scolded.

"Yes mother..." Kadaj mocked. "We'll be good little boys from now on." He laughed along with his two cronies.

"All four of you are absolutely appalling!!!" She barked as she shoved her way past Sephiroth and marched off toward the library doors.

"WE LOVE YOU TOO, MOTHER!!!" Yazoo shouted at her back with a laugh.

While the Sephiroth clones giggled among themselves Sephiroth had to wonder just what he'd done to piss the girl off so badly. He had thought that offering her the handkerchief would have smoothed things out between them.

"Make yourselves useful and wash this until the stains are all gone." Sephiroth commanded as he threw the bloody handkerchief at the trio and then walked away. The three of them fought over it like rabid bridesmaids over the wedding bouquet.

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Elena caught Aerith by the shoulder as she stormed past. The pink-clad girl was still fuming and the vicious glare she shot at Elena startled the blonde so much that she took a few steps back.

"Whoa... I come in peace!" She said, holding her hands out in front of her to show she was unarmed.

"Oh! Elena... I'm so sorry." Aerith felt terrible for redirecting her frustration on her new friend.

"Are you okay? For a second there you looked borderline homicidal... And to be honest the idea of a softie like you going postal is pretty freaking scary." Elena stated with obvious worry.

"I'm fine... I just had a close encounter with the third kind." Aerith spat.

"Ah... You met the Zealots, huh? What beef did they have with you?" Elena asked.

"I gave that insufferable git Sephiroth a piece of my mind and they sorta ganged up on me. To be honest I'm more mad at him then his fanclub. The jerk just sat back and watched them rough me up a bit before stepping in." Aerith explained.

"That bastard. I can't believe he's being such a prick. I mean sure he's an ass but I never pegged him for condoning violence against innocent girls. Don't worry. I'll tell the other Turks about what happened and they'll straighten this mess out. Tifa has the same English class as us so go find her and have her walk with you to class while I run and tell Rufus and the guys." Elena said with a determined nod.

Aerith smiled softly and nodded back before she went inside the cafeteria to find Tifa. She only told Tifa that Elena wasn't going to be walking to class with them. She really didn't want to cause too much of a fuss on her first day.

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"Ah... You must be Aerith... I'm Mrs. Demos." Jenova Demos gave Aerith an unsettling smile that showed off her frighteningly pointed teeth. The albino woman looked like some sort of ancient mythological monster dressed in a pinstriped skirt, jacket, and black heels.

"Hello Mrs. Demos." Aerith replied, trying not to wince as Jenova's clammy hand made contact with her own in an awkward handshake.

"There's a seat by the window in the third row. You'll be seated next to Elena Fairchild who I'll ask to quietly fill you in on my class guidelines." Jenova explained curtly.

"Actually, Mrs. Demos, I think Elena might be a little late getting to class. She had to go and talk to Rufus about something." Aerith said softly.

A cruel and cold expression flashed across Jenova's face for a moment before returning back to its creepy calm façade.

"I see..." She drawled. "Very well. Tifa Lockheart's seat is in front of yours. I suppose she and Elena can switch places for a day." The teacher said.

Aerith repeated what Jenova had said to Tifa and the busty brunette gladly moved into the seat next to Aerith. Aerith was startled at first by the fact that heavy layers of dark fabric had been layered over the windows but then remembered hearing that albinos were highly light sensitive. A sharp pang of sympathy stabbed through Aerith's heart as she looked into her teacher's sad face.

"There's basically one thing you need to know about our teacher. She's a bipolar LUNATIC." Tifa whispered harshly. "Her moods change faster than Cid burns through a cigarette. Thank God she's on medication." She explained.

Aerith gulped and began taking notes as Jenova taught the class. A few minutes later Elena came in and handed her a hall pass. Mrs. Demos angrily threw the note into the trash and pointed wordlessly at the seat in front of Aerith. As soon as Elena had sat down the teacher renewed her lesson as though nothing had happened.

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Elena was up and out of the classroom before Aerith could ask her anything. To Aerith's surprise Rude wasn't the only Turk waiting to escort her. Tseng and Rufus nodded at her and started walking toward her history classroom.

"Aren't you guys seniors?" Aerith asked, curious as to why the upperclassmen were there.

"Try not to worry about it too much, sunshine." Rufus said to her from over his shoulder.

She couldn't help but do just that. She nibbled on her bottom lip until it was blood red and slightly swollen and she kept playing with one of the key chains she'd hooked on her schoolbag, (The one she was fiddling with was of an adorable tonberry.), until they reached the doorway of Cid Highwind's classroom. Aerith watched Rufus nod at Rude and then Tseng, apparently signaling to move along so he could speak with Aerith in private.

"Aerith." Rufus said, trying to look her in the eyes but his gaze continued drifting down to stare at her mouth and then up into her eyes again. He cleared his throat. "Apparently we are dealing with a delicate situation when it comes to the people that have been bothering you." He finally said calmly.

"Oh no... I'm causing trouble, aren't I? I'm so sorry. It's just... Elena caught me when I was upset... It's really no big deal. I can-" She was cut off when Rufus rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Relax. Soon enough I'll have everything under control. Until then just stay away from Sephiroth and his fangirls." He said, looking over her shoulder and into her classroom to nod at Rude again.

Aerith looked up at Rufus and smiled, looking grateful. For a moment Rufus' calm demeanor seemed to falter and his blue eyes darted to the side to break eye contact. He cleared his throat again and pulled out a small notepad and a pen from his shirt pocket. The leader of the Turks carefully wrote something down and then ripped the sheet of paper he'd written on from the pad and handed it to her.

"My personal numbers. The first is to my office, the second is my house, and the third is my cell. You can send emails to my cell phone number as well. Feel free to contact me at any time if you need ANYTHING." He said, putting emphasis on the last word.

Aerith tucked the paper in the front zipper with all the rest of the numbers. It seemed that everyone she was on friendly terms with had given her their contact information. Even Yuffie, who had at first been rather stand-offish, had scribbled down her email, and handed it to Aerith.

She reached out and clasped his hands between hers. "Thank you, Rufus. I really appreciate all your help. I'm still kind of freaked out by just how rotten my luck has been on my first day here. It means a lot that you're helping me when you barely even know me." She said with a warm smile.

"Just doing my job as a Turk." Rufus said with a smug grin, though his eyes contained a flood of different emotions writhing their blue depths.

He walked off, turning back once to offer her a casual salute as she waved goodbye to him. Once he had turned the corner and was out of site, Aerith walked into her classroom and sat down in an available seat behind Rude. The bell rang and a scruffy looking middle-aged man came in surrounded by a cloud of smoke that was spewing from the end of a cigar hanging from the corner of his mouth at a dangerous angle.

"So who ain't here today?" The man said in a gruff bark.

"It looks like Sephiroth is skipping again..." Said a platinum blonde cheerleader from her seat at the front.

"Still comes and goes as he pleases... It's no wonder he was held back a whole damn grade." Grumbled the history teacher.

"Hey Smokestack! Can we open a window? Your cigar smoke is irritating my asthma." Whined a chubby boy at the back of the class.

"If it irritates you that much than you can switch classes, Corneo. Your pissing and moaning is irritating MY ASS." Barked Cid as he stubbed out his cigar butt in an overflowing ashtray on his desk only to light up a thin cigarette and perch it on the opposite side of his mouth than where his cigar had been.

"Before class starts, any of you mouth breathers got any questions?" Cid asked.

Another cheerleader, this time a brunette, raised her hand and started to speak after Cid nodded in her direction. "Um... Why do you smoke cigarettes and cigars on opposite sides of your mouth?" She asked in a high pitched voice.

Cid looked pleased. "Excellent question, darlin'. You see... Cigarettes smoked on the left, cigars puffed on the right, and booze is guzzled right down the middle." He said in a no-nonsense explanation. "Back in my piloting days I used to be able to do all three at once!" He boasted proudly with a wiggle of his bushy blonde eyebrows. "Impressive, huh? Give it a try when you're all legal, kiddos! It's a real hit at parties." He guffawed.

The class stared back at him with expressions varying from horror and shock to awestruck wonder. Cid scratched the stubble growing on his chin as his enthusiasm melted away. He cleared his throat and took a long drag of his cigarette.

"Mr. Cid... You have a new student." Rude said, getting both Cid and Aerith's attention.

"I do? Where?!" Cid asked, looking over the faces of all his students.

"Um... Right here..." Aerith said as she raised her hand.

"Here?! Where the hell is here? Are you invisible or something?" He muttered.

It was then that Aerith realized just why Cid was unable to see her. She gently tapped Rude on the shoulder and raised her hand higher when the Turk leaned to the side.

"Ah! There you are!!! What, were you hidin' in Rude's hair?" The teacher joked.

Cid wasn't too far off base with his jest either. Rude wasn't just one of the tallest students in Midgar High; He also seemed to have the most hair, or at least the illusion of it. His black curls sprouted up and defied gravity in a bush-like shape that haloed his head. Aerith had the impression that if they were standing outside he would be able to block out the sun.

"Well, I doubt you'll be able to see anything sittin' behind Tree-head, l'il missy. How about you and him switch places until he decides to hire a gardener to take some shears to his fancy up-do?" Cid guffawed.

Rude patted his bushy hair nervously and shot Cid a nasty glare before trading spots with Aerith. She looked over her shoulder and tried to apologize for any embarrassment that he may have gone through with her eyes. She couldn't really tell if she'd reached him, however, thanks to the stylish sunglasses that shielded his own eyes.

Cid gave the whole class a quick refresher not only for Aerith's sake, but also because he was convinced that his class had been coughing up their lungs as they got used to his smoke the first two weeks instead of taking notes. By the end of class she'd caught up with everything she'd missed.

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All of the Turks, including Tseng and Rufus, silently escorted Aerith to her last class. They positioned themselves around her like bodyguards. Reno sauntered at the front, followed by Aerith walking between Elena and Rufus, and Rude brought up the rear. Tseng had been told to keep out of sight but to maintain a visual on them. Aerith kept trying to catch Elena's eye, but the female Turk ignored her. By the way Elena's jaw was set and her eyebrows were furrowed she didn't look too happy about being silent either.

They arrived at the computer lab without any incident and parted from her with only a terse nod in her direction from Rufus. However, Elena lagged behind her friends and when she was sure none of them were watching her she quickly looked back at Aerith and held up one of her hands so it looked like she was on a cell phone. Aerith nodded and Elena gave her a sad smile before catching up with the rest of the Turks.

"That was weird." Said someone standing next to Aerith, vocalizing the very same thought that had just run through her head.

Yuffie smiled up at Aerith and hooked arms with her. "You're gonna need to sit by me. Shelke kinda speaks her own language and you'll probably need me to translate until you can get the hang of it." Yuffie said as she dragged Aerith into the computer lab and sat down next to her at the first two computers at the front of the room. Aerith was surprised when Vincent walked through the door, but even more surprised by what happened next.

"VINNY!!!!" Yuffie shrieked as she shot up from her seat and climbed up on the computer desk.

Vincent didn't seem to pay any attention to Yuffie's outburst and Aerith watched in horror as the underclassman girl dove off of the desk and launched herself at the dark male. With practiced ease and unbelievable grace he caught her mid belly flop and gently set her on her feet. Aerith let out the breath that she'd been holding while Yuffie pouted.

"Vinny... I am going to glomp you one of these days. You can't keep your guard up forever!!!" Yuffie seethed as she stomped over to her seat and angrily plopped down into the chair.

Vincent stared into Aerith's eyes and raised an eyebrow pointedly. The message he silently conveyed with his eyes screamed "Wanna bet?!" and Aerith would swear on her first born child that he was smirking underneath the red scarf that obscured his mouth. He made his way over and sat in the empty chair on the other side of Aerith, making Yuffie shoot poisonous glares at her.

Shelke Rui came in and started setting up her computer while sipping from a blue bottle that had "BAWLS" printed on the bottle in bold white letters. She was once again wearing a fairly revealing ensemble, though nothing was too distasteful. The young teacher slipped on a pair of reading glasses and started typing so fast that instead of a cacophony of key pressing noises all, that could be heard was a steady "Clack, clack, clack" amidst a steady hum. The bell rang and a window popped up on Aerith's computer.

It read:

4R3 U t3h NU st00d3nt?

Areith blinked at the message a few times and then tapped on Yuffie's shoulder, asking her if the window was a virus.

"No. That's just a message from Shelke. She types and writes in "Leet" speak. Basically computer programmers and such substitute numbers and symbols for letters that they look like. Like "E" is replaced with the number three. She's asking if you're the new student." Yuffie explained patiently, her jealous rage forgotten.

"Oh..." Aerith said, staring at the message again and trying to decode it.

She typed "yes" in the window and watched as more letters appeared.

W4T 1S UR N4M3?

Yuffie rolled her eyes and smiled, used to the teacher's eccentricities. Instead of bothering to explain she typed on Aerith's keyboard for her. "Her name is Aerith Gainsborough. Junior. Not leet." She typed as Aerith read over her shoulder.

GR43T 4 N3WB. U T34CH H3R 2B L33T?

"She wants me to teach you how to read and write leet. I'll just write up a quick guide for you to use and you can figure out the rest on your own, okay?" Yuffie asked out loud.

Aerith nodded and waited patiently as Yuffie scribbled down a quick guide. She noticed Shelke was staring at her and she looked highly unimpressed. Aerith blushed and sunk down in her chair. Yuffie spent the rest of the class tutoring Aerith in leet speak and even had her practice typing a few things. The bell rang and Yuffie beamed at her student.

"You learn quick, Aerith! Pretty soon you'll be totally leet." She complimented.

"Uh... Thanks... But I have one more question." Aerith said.

"Shoot." Yuffie grinned.

"Am I getting a foreign language credit as well as an elective credit?" She joked.

Both Yuffie and Aerith laughed as well as Shelke. Well, actually the unique teacher said "L-O-L" out loud, (Laughing out loud), and smiled brightly.

"She's my hero." Yuffie said, looking at Shelke. Her face was so serious that Aerith didn't doubt it one bit. However, she did have to wonder just what Yuffie saw in such a strange teacher. Sure the freshman was a little weird in her own charming way but it seemed that Shelke Rui had turned being abnormal into an art form.

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"Hi mom!" Aerith said as she walked into Ifalna's empty classroom. The school had emptied out for the most part and Aerith was able to be herself again instead of "The new girl". It felt good to let her guard down again. "How'd it go?" She asked.

"Actually it went quite well and it turns out that a few of your new friends have my class. That girl Tifa Lockheart has a lot of experience and Jessie... What was it again? Oh. Jessie Cooper. She's got spunk!" Ifalna beamed. "Though I do have my reservations when it comes to Elena Fairchild. She doesn't seem like the home economics type." She said with a small frown.

"Elena's in Home Ec? What, did she lose a bet with Reno?!" Aerith laughed.

"Actually... Reno O'Hare has my class too." Ifalna said with a smile. "One of the only boys, too. He probably thinks being in my class will get him closer to girls." She smirked.

Aerith giggled and teasingly shook her finger at her mother. "You go easy on that poor boy!" She mock-warned.

"I'll be gentle." Ifalna joked. "Anyway, I've still got some grading to do on the worksheets I passed out today. How about you go visit the library and I'll send Red to get you when I'm done?" Ifalna asked, pointing to the softly snoring lion camped out on his new bed next to her desk.

"Sounds good to me. Try not to have too much fun with your paperwork!" Aerith laughed.

"I'll do my best to contain my overwhelming enthusiasm." Ifalna deadpanned, though she wore a smile.

Once Aerith was in the hall she sighed with relief. She'd been worried that her mother would ask about her day. Aerith was horrible at lying, especially to her mother. Ifalna seemed to know exactly what Aerith was thinking or feeling no matter how great Aerith's acting was. She still hadn't told Ifalna about Hojo, since she wasn't sure how to break the news. And if Aerith told her mother about Sephiroth she'd probably insist on meeting him and making things even worse unintentionally.

She made her way into the library and wandered over to the teen fiction section. She had an addiction to teen romance novels and reading one now would probably block out all thoughts on her surreal day. She needed to get lost in a good book. Badly.

Up on a shelf just barely within reach of her fingertips Aerith saw the spine of her favorite Sarah Dessen novels. She'd read "This Lullaby" at least ten times, but she still adored it. Aerith got up on her toes and slowly reached for the book above her head. Her fingertips barely grazed the spine of the paperback.

Suddenly she found the front of her body pressed roughly against the bookshelf and her wrists in a vice-like grip.

"You've caused me a hell of a lot of trouble in just one day... Aerith." A deep and sensual voice whispered in her ear. Aerith suppressed a shiver as her name being said in Sephiroth's gravelly tone repeated several times in her head. He whirled her around to face him and slammed her back painfully into the bookshelf. Her head hit the shelf so hard that her vision blurred for a few moments. Sephiroth had a palm pressed against the spines of the books behind her on both sides; Boxing her in. He leered down at her with cold blue-green eyes and chuckled. "I can feel you shaking. Do I scare you?" He asked.

Aerith blushed brightly. There was no way in hell she was going to tell him that truth be told she was more aroused than frightened. That thought alone scared her more than Sephiroth ever could. She tried to avert her eyes from his but he grabbed her chin and forced her to look back up at him. He was so close that she could make out a few pale freckles on his cheeks and a tiny mole at the bottom outer corner of his right eye.

"Se-Sephiroth..." Aerith gasped, wanting to stick around and see just what he'd do to her almost as much as she wanted to run.

And then Sephiroth began to lean in slowly, his face closing in and his eyes gleaming with a wicked sheen.

Her eyes fluttered closed and the image of Zack's smiling face filled her mind and shook her to the core. A wave of panic and self loathing washed over Aerith and she suddenly shoved Sephiroth off of her with strength neither one of them thought she could possess.

Aerith felt tears burning at the corners of her eyes and she started to flee. However just as she was about to burst through the library doors she was yanked back by her long braid and toppled backward onto Sephiroth, sending them both crashing to the ground this time.

"What in God's name is the matter with you!?" Sephiroth shouted angrily as he grabbed Aerith by the shoulder painfully and jerked her around to face him. His answer was a harsh slap across his face and the sight of crystalline tears cascading down Aerith's cheeks from her shimmering emerald eyes.

"YOU!!!!" She screamed.

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Author's Note: And there it is. The first chapter of what is bound to be a very long story. I have tons of ideas and a good feeling about most of them. I just hope I can keep this up as well as my other two fanfics. Let me know if you enjoyed this fic and feel free to make suggestions or guess where you think this story will go. Just please, no flames. Constructive criticism is fine, but I doubt that any writing that someone truly put effort and thought into ever deserves to be abused. Share the love!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!!!

Elle


	2. Hairgel, Fanboys, and Fire! Oh my!

Author's Note: Hi again! I decided to get started on chapter two while the story still has that new fic smell, lol. I'm thrilled that so far all my reviewers love this. Hopefully I can keep things moving smoothly as well as continuing to provide a great read. I am one of the few people that actually like high school fics. I have no idea why: I hated high school with a passion. Oh! And before I start this chapter I feel the need to share my amazing story of the day. About a year ago my apartment was burglarized and the thieves stole all my games and anime: Including my most treasured original copy of Final Fantasy VII. I've been searching local game shops ever since, but a new copy has continued to elude me. Then today I was out running various bothersome errands. I was just on my way home feeling dog tired and irritable when suddenly I was overcome by the strangest urge to take a detour and go to the game store by my apartment complex. I always follow my instincts, so of course I went to shop. Lo and behold... They had a mint copy of FF7 for just $30. After letting out a squeal of delight and doing my own version of the Final Fantasy "Victory pose", (Complete with me humming the victory theme.), I bought the game on the spot and ignored the bewildered stares of the other customers and staff, racing home and popping the 1st disk into my PS2 as soon as I walked in the door. The End.

Now wasn't that just special?

Disclaimer: NOT MINE!!! I friggin wish!!! Y'know what else I wish? That the people at Square-Enix would remake FF7 with overhauled graphics and spectacular voice acting. That's right. I wouldn't wish for world peace. FF7 remake BABY!!!!

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Sephiroth lifted a hand to his cheek. The skin still burned where Aerith's hand had hit him. He looked at her, wiping at her teary eyes and trying to remain strong in front of him, and had to admit that he was impressed. The girl had spirit and a temper; Things Sephiroth admired in the fairer sex. He smirked but slowly his smirk grew into a grin and then he began to laugh. It was deep and rich and, for Aerith, totally humiliating to hear.

"Bastard!" She snapped as she got to her feet and began to leave. She was stopped when Sephiroth, who had stopped laughing, caught her by one of her ankles. She looked down at him with so many emotions shining in her emerald eyes he nearly let go.

"We're not finished here..." He drawled.

"Yes we are!" Aerith said, stomping on his wrist with her free foot and then running away through the library doors, not looking back.

Sephiroth rubbed his sore wrist and chuckled again. It was entertaining to watch such a mousy girl fight with the heart of a lion. She was interesting, and Sephiroth decided to continue to associate with her until he grew bored with her. It was rare for anyone to ever dare stand up to him, and the fact that she did so fiercly made him wonder what other strengths she hid under her innocent exterior.

"Oh no, little Aerith... We aren't finished at all... The game's only just begun." He whispered with a dark chuckle.

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The hallways were empty as Aerith stumbled along blindly past the rows of lockers and the occaisional classroom door.

AERITH!!! Red XIII's voice echoed in Aerith's head and she struggled to wipe away any evidence of tears.

"Oh... Hey Red. Mom ready to go?" Aerith asked weakly.

What happened? You look troubled. Red asked with concern.

"I'm fine, honest. Just having trouble with... Allergies." Aerith said the first convincing thing that came to mind, though it was obvious she was lying. Even Aerith knew her lie was weak.

You're going to have to try harder than that. I can smell tears and hear the hitch in your breath. Tell me what really happened. Red urged.

"It's nothing. Really." Aerith stated firmly.

Sephiroth has been harassing you again, hasn't he? Rufus warned me about it and asked me to keep an eye on you. Where is Sephiroth? We need to chat. Red growled.

"All of you are going too far with this! I never really asked for any help, everyone just assumed they had to protect me. I'm grateful and all, but you're just making things worse for me. Just leave Sephiroth alone and let me try and handle things. Please..." Aerith begged.

The lion snorted unhappily but said nothing more as he watched Aerith walk to her mother's classroom.

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Against Aerith's wishes, Red XIII made his way to the library where he knew Sephiroth would be lurking. She had no idea that he and Sephiroth had a history together and that anything that concerned the troublesome teen was his responsibility to address. Or at least in Red's opinion it was.

"I had expected you to come to scold me eventually. You must really like the girl if you are coming to reprimand me so soon... Nanaki." Sephiroth said with amusement.

Must you continue to make trouble for me? I would think you'd show me some gratitude. Red XIII snarled.

"Why? Because you care for me in Mother's stead? I was doing fine on my own long before you came along." Sephiroth spat.

Oh yes. You were doing wonderfully before your mother went on her anti-psychotic drugs at my urging. Red's tone was sarcastic.

"I'm not some defenseless kitten. I would think you'd understand that by the fact that no one, not even Mother, dares to question me or my ways any more."

Aerith did. The lion stated plainly.

"But she won't once I become bored with her." Sephiroth said confidently.

What if your interest doesn't wane?

"It will. It always does. I tire with the futile struggles of weaklings after so much time has passed." Sephiroth explained as if he were bored.

Aerith isn't a weakling. You will learn that soon enough. And once you do I predict you won't be able to dismiss her so easily as you have others. Red sounded pleased with himself.

"Think what you want." Sephiroth sighed.

I always do. Just don't take things to far with your harrassment of Aerith. A lot of people care about her, including myself. Red said.

"Is that a threat?" Sephiroth's eyebrows rose with entertainment.

No. It's a warning. Red was serious. And don't call me "Nanaki". I no longer answer to my slave name.

"But Mother picked out such a good name for her little pet!" Sephiroth teased.

Red XIII growled and bared his teeth angrily. He shot one last glare at his insolent aquaintence before leaving the library. As the lion calmed down he felt mildly amused by the sight of the red hand-print on Sephiroth's cheek. Obviously Aerith could handle herself if she could leave such an "Impression".

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The ride home with Ifalna was quiet. Both women were tired from their experiences during their first day and neither felt much need to gab. Upon arriving home Ifalna headed upstairs for a nap while Aerith decided to walk around and explore her new hometown.

She was careful to remember the prism staff her mother had given her for protection. The slums were occaisionally visited by unfriendly wildlife and muggings were regular if not routine. She added her usual materia; Restore, Earth, Time, and Contain. While Aerith wasn't very strong with physical attacks she compensated with devastating prowess with materia handling. Ifalna had explained that it was normal for residents of Midgar to carry weapons with them just in case while walking alone. The fact had unsettled Aerith, but she wasn't about to give up a refreshing stroll just because she might have to fight.

As she walked down the street she was pleased that the monsters gave her a respectfully wide berth. At the end of Holy Street Aerith noticed a dilapidated church that she had wanted to explore but never took the time to. She shrugged and decided that a little adventure wouldn't hurt and made her way inside.

She had to press all of her body weight against the rusted doors to get them to budge. They let out a horrendous screech as she pushed them open until they had parted wide enough for her to squeeze through. As she walked inside she coughed several times from inhaling some of the dust that had scattered when she'd forced the doors open. Holes in the roof of the church provided minimal lighting from the sunshine that beamed through. Spiderwebs decorated every nook and cranny and large rats scurried away as she walked down the aisle toward the church's altar. Several of the pews that flanked her on either side were warped or broken; The wood that they were made of having not been able to withstand the test of time. Every surface was coated with such a thick layer of dust that it looked like a blanket of gray snow had settled over everything. The dust muffled the sounds of her footsteps as she reached the altar. She looked up at the window that towered behind the pastor's podium and wondered if under the cobwebs and dust the window panes were stained glass.

While the church looked as though it were haunted it felt serene and safe. It was still a holy place even after being ignored for an unknown amount of years. Aerith forgot her troubles as her eyes looked over the broken church and she felt her heart swell. Being here felt right.

It was as she stood in a patch of earth that had once been covered with a wood floor, (As evidenced by the fraying and splintered floorboards surrounding the soil.), in front of the altar she decided to make this place her personal sanctuary. In her mind she made a list of all the things she'd need to do to restore the pile of wood and stone to its former glory. She knew it would take a long time and a lot of work, but Aerith felt like she NEEDED to do this. It was as if the church was begging for her to show it the kindness it had been deprived of for so long.

She went home after exploring the other rooms of the church; The preacher's quarters, the storage room, and the attic. Again her walk was quiet and she didn't encounter any trouble along the way. She stored her prism staff and materia in the front closet and headed up to her room to write down the repair list she was still adding to in her head.

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A good while after finishing her list as well as her homework she decided to jump online and add all the new email addresses she had to her buddy list. Some of the screennames made her laugh, (Tifa obviously had a sense of humor since her's was "BigBoobsMcGee"), while others didn't make sense to her, (Elena's was "TheRookie" for some reason). In the end she saw that only one of her buddies was online. She quickly started up a conversation.

FlowerGurl: Hey Elena, it's Aerith.

TheRookie: lol. I love your sn. It suits you.

FlowerGurl: Thanks, I think. Why is yours "TheRookie"?

TheRookie: Oh... I'm the youngest and newest member of the Turks. Reno came up with the nickname and it sort of stuck.

FlowerGurl: I see.

TheRookie: I'm really sorry I couldn't talk to you on the way to your last class. I had no clue Rufus would take things so seriously. I mean I know he and Sephiroth have this weird rivalry thing going on but he's kinda going overboard.

FlowerGurl: You read my mind.

TheRookie: Maybe he likes you.

FlowerGurl: SEPHIROTH!?!

TheRookie: No!!! Rufus... Though now that I think about it...

For a moment Aerith's heart stopped beating. She decided to cut off whatever Elena was trying to insinuate with her statement before she could even begin. Aerith did NOT want to even THINK about boys liking her or romance or silver hair and blue-green eyes.

FlowerGurl: Hold that thought right there. Sephiroth doesn't like me. And Rufus is probably being nice. Plus they hardly know me!

TheRookie: So? You're gorgeous and to high school boys looks come before anything else.

FlowerGurl: Ugh. Shut up. You're wrong. The end. Okay?

TheRookie: Whatever you say.

FlowerGurl: What about you? You're pretty and everyone knows you. Do you have a special someone?

TheRookie: I don't think so. I'm surrounded by the guys all the time. Even if someone did like me they'd be too scared to approach me.

FlowerGurl: Well... What about one of the guys? You and Reno seem to be close.

TheRookie: EW!!! Take it back! TAKE IT BACK!!!

FlowerGurl: What?! I bet he likes you.

TheRookie: No way. He's like family to me. My annoying brother or cousin or something.

FlowerGurl: Oh.

TheRookie: Besides... I have a crush on someone.

FlowerGurl: You do?! WHO?

TheRookie: If you tell anyone I'll shoot you in the head.

FlowerGurl: Your secret is safe with me.

TheRookie: Tseng.

FlowerGurl: Awww! You two would be so cute together!

TheRookie: Yeah, well you and Rufus would look good together. Plus he could protect you from Sephiroth. AND he's a senior!

FlowerGurl: I'm not in a hurry to get in any relationships. Back at my old school I had a boyfriend and we broke up when I moved. I still miss him and I'm not totally over him.

TheRookie: Aww. I'm sorry. I'll back off.

FlowerGurl: Thanks. Meanwhile lets focus on YOUR love life. Are you going to approach Tseng? And no more changing the subject. I want details!!!

TheRookie: I should have never told you. AUGH.

Their conversation lasted a while longer and they decided to have a sleepover on friday at Aerith's house before Elena had to go to eat dinner and then do homework. Aerith signed off too and went downstairs to prepare dinner for herself and her mother.

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"Mmmmm... I smell food." Ifalna said as she came down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty!" Aerith joked from her place at the stove.

"What are we having tonight?" Ifalna asked as she sat down at the set table. She sniffed at the air as if trying to guess for herself.

"Stir-fry and dirty rice." Said Aerith as she turned off the stove and set the food out on the table.

"Yum!" Ifalna said as she blew on a fork full and then took a bite.

Aerith remained quiet as she ate her own food.

"So how was your day?" Ifalna asked between bites.

Aerith's heart dropped down into her stomach. Her mother had asked the dreaded question. She was screwed. Aerith tried desperatley to think of something but eventually decided to tell her mother only half of the bothersome news. "Hojo is my science teacher." She said quickly, bracing for her mother's reaction.

"What?!" Ifalna cried, dropping her fork on her plate in shock.

"I'm sorry... I would've told you sooner but I wasn't sure how to phrase it..." Aerith whimpered.

"I... I just can't believe it..." Ifalna said, putting a hand to her forehead and trying to sort out the new piece of information.

"He's still evil..." Aerith muttered.

"Some people never change. Yet again he's come into our lives and is bound to cause us more trouble." Ifalna's eyes began to water. "I know it's a horrible thing to say but... Aerith I truly think he had something to do with your father's death." She was trying hard to fight her tears.

Gast's death had been mysterious. The man was obsessively cautious, saying he needed to be so that he could continue to live for his wife and daughter. His death had been documented as radiation poisoning due to a tear in his suit. It was assumed that he'd caught and ripped a hole in a leg of his suit on a jagged rock edge. Ifalna suspected something far more sinister, especially since the cut in the leg of the suit was too clean and precise to be caused by a rock. It was more likely from the surgical blade that a certain jealous comrade carried around religiously. She'd tried to make her point to the police, but Hojo was a respected member of the scientific community and Ifalna was just a grieving widow.

"Has he been giving you any trouble?" Ifalna asked with worry.

Aerith didn't bother to sugarcoat her answer. "Of course. Apparently he's still living in dad's shadow even after his death." Aerith sighed.

"Killers remorse, most likely!" Ifalna spat. "You stay away from him. He may have gotten rid of Gast, but I wouldn't put it past him to try and hurt you to get to me." Her eyes darkened and she looked to be reliving a painful memory.

"Mom?" Aerith asked, scared by her mother's haunted eyes.

"I'll see if I can get you into a different science class. I'll do the dishes, tonight. Thank you for cooking." Ifalna's voice held an air of finality.

"Okay mom... I love you..." Aerith said softly.

Ifalna remained quiet, having not heard her daughter as she scraped leftovers down the garbage disposal. Aerith watched her back for a few moments before returning to her room.

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The next morning Aerith woke up early after a restless night's sleep. She showered and dressed, this time wearing a long sleeved pink top beneath a red half-jacket and a pair of khaki pants. She braided the curls that fell in front of her ears and pulled them back around her head into a short ponytail. She left the rest of her long chestnut hair down, gently curling at the ends.

Her cell phone was done charging and she had a text message from Zack asking her how her first day had been and saying he'd be checking his phone every ten seconds until she decided to call. His thoughtfullness was bittersweet when she remembered what had happened in the library after school the day before. She tried to ignore the painful twinge in her heart as she gathered up her homework and put it in her schoolbag.

Instead of going to school by car with her mother she wrote a quick note saying she was going to walk and that she hoped Ifalna was feeling better. Once she had equipped her staff with her materia she quietly left her home and took a detour to stop by the church she planned to ressurrect.

It was gloomy and dark in the church thanks to the morning mist, but Aerith still felt the peaceful air of the church wrap around and comfort her. She went into the pastor's quarters and set her chore list down on the warped desk that was pushed into a corner of the room. She hoped that none of the animal inhabitants would eat the piece of paper, but assured herself that if they did the paper wouldn't harm them and reminded herself she had a copy of the list in her computer files.

Before leaving she took a moment to admire the dew glittering on the multitude of spiderwebs as the sun started to shine through the holes in the ceiling. As she left she wondered if she should keep the webs up since they sparkled so beautifully and also because it seemed cruel to force the spiders to relocate after having lived in the church for so long. She decided to give it some thought and put off the verdict until the rest of the church had been spruced up.

As she walked down the street toward the junkyard she saw three little pink monsters come running toward her. She groaned, not really wanting to hurt the creatures, as she swung her staff a few times in an attempt to scare them away. It didn't work, just made them angrier. One of them swiped at her legs while another jumped up to try and bite her arm. The third one was running around her in circles, looking for an opening to attack. Aerith batted the one that tried to bite her wrist and dodged the ankle biter before hitting it soundly on the head with one end of her staff. The third spiked pink blob lunged at her back, but Aerith swung around quickly and crashed the side of her pole-arm into its form. The three assailants shook themselves back to their senses and then scurried away fearfully, having learned their lesson.

Aside from her quick scuffle she had no other trouble getting to school. Aerith went to her regular locker and put the books for all her classes after lunch back into her locker. She also decided to add a few magnets, a mirror, maybe a magnetic pencil holder, and some flowers to her locker to give it a personal touch. She still had most of the decorations she used in her old school locker back at home, so she wasn't worried about buying new things.

As she mapped out how she would decorate her new locker she wondered if she should put Zack's picture up. Her old locker had a snapshot of him grinning goofily at the camera. She'd had that picture since the first week they'd started dating in freshman year. He'd taken the picture himself, holding the camera over his head and aiming at his face the best he could. "So I'm always around when you need me." He had explained as he stuck the picture on the inside of her locker door with a magnet.

Aerith bit her bottom lip as she thought it over, but eventually just let the issue drop until she went home. Instead she decided to go to the gym and get ready for class. She had arrived at school at least thirty minutes early and the school seemed abandoned. After putting on her gym outfit and bunching her hair up into a messy bun that hung low on the back of her neck she went out into the gym and started stretching.

Aerith enjoyed the feel of her muscles warming up as she stretched them. She wasn't very athletic, but she did do a few things like yoga and swimming. She'd also taken a few self-defense classes at her mother's urging and ice skated with her father before his death. Feeling as though she'd warmed up enough for the day she started power walking around the perimeter of the gym and let her mind wander.

She was startled when the gym door slammed behind someone and turned to see Cloud headed for the boys locker room.

"Hi Cloud!" Aerith said with a wave.

He looked up at her groggily and gave her a half-hearted wave back before dragging himself into the changing room. Several minutes later he came back out with his shirt on backwards and his shoes on the wrong feet. Aerith did her best not to laugh at his wardrobe malfunctions.

"Err... Cloud? Your shirt is on backwards." She said.

Cloud grunted and took his shirt off, flipped it inside out, and put it back on... Backwards.

"That better?" He asked, half awake.

"Yeah... Great." Aerith said weakly. Why make him go through all that trouble when it was obvious he was only semi-concious. "You're here early... Any reason?" She asked.

"My mom. She wants me to get a head start and good grades and a responsible older girlfriend and blah blah blah..." He muttered.

"Aww. Poor you." Aerith teased.

Cloud looked at her with mock-hatred. "You're a morning person... Aren't you? I HATE morning people." He hissed and made a cross in front of him with his two pointer fingers. "Stay back! It's too early to be chipper!" He wailed as he thrust his, (Literally), hand-made cross at her.

"You sound like Zack!" Aerith laughed, but soon all traces of humor faded away.

"Zack?" Cloud asked, curious.

"My boy-err... Ex-boyfriend" Aerith ammended weakly. "Actually you two are a lot alike. You even look similar." She said.

"Ahhh... So he's devilishly charming and unbearable handsome?" Cloud joked.

"Wow... You two even have the same level of modesty!" Aerith laughed.

Talking about Zack made her feel a little better. She didn't like pretending he wasn't a part of her life anymore. She missed him, and talking about him made that ache a little less painful. She smiled, knowing that his picture would be up in her locker the next day. Zack would want to keep his promise of always being around when she needed him.

"You must have really liked him." Cloud said.

"He was my first love... And my best friend." Aerith said as she thought of Zack and his goofy grin. She could hear his voice calling her "Pinky" and laughing.

The two of them talked for a while. Cloud told her that Jessie had rigged up a few stink bombs in the Zealots' lockers so that when she hit a switch they would go off. Aerith ended up telling Cloud about Sephiroth, but was surprised to see that he wasn't very emotional about it.

"Seph's always been kind of a jerk. We've been going to the same schools since kindergarten so I kinda got to know him. His life used to be really messed up... Something about his mom. And while all that crap was happening he got really mean and started to distance himself. Things got better, I think, but he couldn't seem to ditch his badittude, Y'know?" Cloud said. "I used to really look up to him. He was so great at school and he was always helping out guys like me. I wonder what happened." He mused.

"That's so sad..." Aerith whispered, feeling a horrible stab of guilt for slapping him the day before. It wasn't all his fault he was abnoxious, apparently. According to Cloud he even used to be nice. Aerith was unable to conjure up a mental image of a nice Sephiroth, but she believed Cloud. He was friendly and seemed honest enough. Besides, why would he lie?

"Wanna shoot some hoops until the rest of the class gets here? We've got like fifteen minutes." Cloud asked, already headed for the supply closet to grab a basketball.

Aerith nodded and they started up a friendly game using just one of the two hoops mounted on opposite ends of the gym. Cloud was beating Aerith with ease, his score so high he'd lost count. Aerith knew her score, though; One. She'd gotten the basket by accidentally bouncing the ball off Cloud's head. Apparently all the gel in his spiked hair gave his locks a springboard effect. She momentarily wondered if he even felt the ball hit his head from under all that product.

People started trickling into the gym and getting changed into their gym outfits as their game progressed. Eventually they stopped playing and began bickering playfully over the score.

"I'm telling you it didn't count!" Cloud said.

"It did too! Isn't that considered an assist?!" Aerith replied, stomping her foot.

"No! It's my hair! MY hair is on MY team! You can't assist an opposing player!" Cloud barked.

"Your hair did." Aerith stated.

"It did not! It was an interference gone wrong. A foul!"

"It was not! Your hair obviously decided to betray you and help me! It switched teams!"

"How can hair even switch teams? It's attatched to my HEAD!!!" Cloud was having fun with this ridiculous argument. He would have given her the point with ease, but he was enjoying their farfetched disagreement too much.

"Don't be sore just because your hair likes me more than you!" Aerith was trying to keep a straight face, as was the crowd that had gathered around them to spectate their absurd quarrel.

"Oh now that was just mean..." Cloud faked hurt.

"You had to come to terms at some point. Your hair loves me. I'm nice to it and I don't try to smother it with mousse and gel. You hair and I were actually trying to put this off but... Cloud... This is an intervention... You're addicted to hair care styling products. Your hair and I just want you to know that we're here for you." Aerith fought off the urge to smile, wanting to see how far the joke would go.

"What are you talking about!? I don't have a problem... I can stop whenever I want!!!" Cloud acted angry and scared, but it was obvious he was trying hard not to laugh.

Then they both burst into uncontrollable laughter in unison. The two teens were unable to stop as it became hard to breathe and tears of mirth began leaking from their eyes. Aerith had to lean on Cloud as her knees felt like they were about to give out.

"Wh-What's really funny... I... I really d-don't think I could sto... STOP!!!" Cloud managed to say between his rhaspy giggles.

"N-no more... I... I think I'm dying... You k-killed me!" Aerith sobbed and laughed at the same time as her gut felt like it was going to explode.

The two fell to the gym floor in a heap, wheezing out the remaining laughter they had bottled up and clutching their stomaches in pain. Tifa stood over the two of them with her arms crossed over her chest and a wry smirk on her lips. Her foot was tapping just inches from Cloud's nose against the floor.

"Well aren't you two just chummy all of a sudden." Tifa said with a slight edge in her voice.

"Hey... Hey Tifa..." Cloud managed to say as his laughter died out.

Aerith waved weakly and then winced, gripping her stomach. She was still trying to catch her breath.

Tifa sighed and then smiled as she rolled her eyes. "I can't belive you, Cloud. One day and you've already corrupted Aerith into stooping down to your level of immaturity." She sighed again.

"It wasn't me... It was all my hair's fault!" Cloud grinned and let out more chuckles.

Aerith snorted loudly. "Owwww... Stop it... It hurts to laugh..." She groaned, though you wouldn't be able to tell she was in pain from the smile on her face.

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By the end of Gym class it was a miracle that Cloud had not sustained any brain damage during the class game of dodgeball. Everyone wanted to test out the amazing springing power of his hair for themselves and proceeded to aim all hits at his spikey yellow hair. What was even more amazing was that Cloud's hair retained its signature style without a single strand out of place.

"Wow..." Tifa marveled at the remarkable blonde tuft of hair on Cloud's head.

"I always thought the spikes on his head were pointy and sharp..." Zangan muttered. He'd ended the class a little early so everyone would have more time to change out of their gym outfits.

Aerith was busy pressing down and then releasing Cloud's hair to watch it spring back into its style. "This is fun!" She admitted with some surprise. "I bet Yuffie would love to see this!" She said.

Cloud had a smug grin on his face, having known that his hair would attract women one day. He hadn't exactly expected it to turn out quite like this, but he wasn't going to nitpick. Instead he just enjoyed the open stares directed at him from the fascinated group of female classmates.

The bell rang and there was a chorus of dissappointed "awww"-ing from the girls as well as one from Cloud. Tifa practically had to drag Aerith away from Cloud's hair as it appeared that she had indeed fallen under some sort of evil hair spell.

"Wait! I have math with Cloud!" Aerith said, excited about the opportunity to share her discovery with Jessie. Tifa walked back over to Cloud with Aerith in tow and glared at him.

"Either you do something about your hair hypnotizing my friend or I'll chop it off..." She threatened before walking away in a huff.

Aerith was content to continue messing with his hair on the way to math class, entertained much in the same way a cat would be with a ball of yarn.

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Aerith and Cloud entered Barett's math class on time and made their way to the desks. Aerith only took a moment to set her bag down next to her desk before returning to her newfound source of entertainment.

"This is addictive." She mused.

Jessie walked in and did a double-take as she watched Cloud's hair spring up from being pressed down by Aerith's hands. She never took her gaze off of the gravity defying hair as she set her books down at her own desk and then walked up beside Aerith.

"Let me try!" She suddenly squealed, bumping Aerith none-too-gently out of her way.

"No! Jessie, you aren't allowed to touch my hair! You'll light it on fire or make it explode or something!!!" Cloud panicked as he tried to swat away Jessie's hands.

"It's so malleable..." Jessie said in awe, totally ignoring Cloud.

"That's it! No more playing with my hair! I've learned my lesson! I'm getting it cut shorter tonight and cutting back on the gel." Cloud snapped.

"But then your head won't be impervious to injury!" Aerith gasped.

"It's a sacrifice I have to make for the greater good..." Cloud said in total seriousness.

"Can I keep the stuff you cut off? I want to see how flammable it is and if it has any explosive qualities..." Jessie asked nicely with a puppy dog pout.

"NO!!! My hair will not be used for evil!!!" Cloud hissed.

"Party pooper..." Jessie grumbled as Barett stepped in and started writing problems on the board. He noticed Aerith and Jessie standing around Cloud in the corner of his eye and tried to remember his blood pressure problems before he started shouting.

"WHY IN THE G&DAMN HELL ARE YOU TWO F$KING STANDING AROUND SPIKE'S PUNK ASS?!?!" He demanded in his usual polite and conservative manner. "SIT YO ASSES DOWN AND TAKE NOTES!!!"

Jessie and Aerith scurried to their seats and got to work in record time while Cloud looked at Barett as if he'd just saved his life.

"WHY YOU MAKING F$KING GOO-GOO EYES AT ME?! I AIN'T DONE YOU NO DAMN FAVOR!!!! GET TO G&DAMN WORK!!!" Barett said as he stomped over and whacked the back of Cloud's head with his good hand. The intimidating teacher then watched as Cloud's magical hair bounced back into place. "WHAT THE F$K?!?! Boy, that ain't f$king right... Some crazy st right there..."Barett muttered in disgust as he headed back up to the board.

Cloud looked mortified. "My hair... He... He touched my hair... It'll never be clean again!!!" He whimpered.

Jessie just frowned and threw an eraser at him. "Suck it up, Chocobo butthead. He's touched your hair before, remember? How many times has he hit you in the head now?" She asked in a hissed whisper.

"Yeah, but that was before all the girls touched it... His big ugly man-paw took away all the girly magic... Unclean! My hair is unclean!" Cloud lamented.

Meanwhile Aerith made a sickened face as she wiped her hands on her schoolbag, only to see that they left a trail of oily grease stains from Cloud's industial strength hair gel. "I feel ill..." She groaned as her complexion took on a green hue.

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Reno and Rude were waiting for Aerith outside of class after the bell rang.

"Hey there, Aerith. I've got a great story for you!" Reno greeted.

Rude let out a low groan and massaged his temples. Aerith noticed this and felt herself worry for her new friend.

"Rude.. Are you okay?" She asked kindly, lightly placing a hand on one of Rude's elbows.

"Rude is fine. He just doesn't want me to tell you the story." Reno explained, shrugging off Aerith's concern.

"Well then shouldn't you... um... Not tell it to me?" Aerith asked. Rude looked down at her and for a split second Aerith thought she saw a grateful smile.

"Nah! This is too good to keep quiet!" Reno laughed as he shoved his hands into his pockets and grinned cheekily.

Rude let out another heavy sigh as he took Aerith's books for her and started walking with them to science class.

"So I drop by Rude's pad, like I do every mornin' since it's on the way to school, and his mom answers the door. Fine lady, I gotta say, but that's not part of the story." Reno said, lifting his arms up over his head and crossing them to where it looked like he was reclining as he walked. "So I said to her that I was there to pick up Rudy here-" Reno cocked his head in Rude's direction, "And she starts huffin and puffin, y'know?" Reno asked.

Aerith nodded her head, though she doubted it mattered to Reno, who seemed to enjoy the sound of his own voice more than having an audience listen to it. She tried to conjure up a mental image of what Rude's mother would look like but all she got was a female version of Rude in a pink apron. The thought made her bite back a snicker.

"And she was all like 'Ah dun know way y'all be callin l'il PERCIVAL bah his middle nayme', and I was like WHAT?!" He said, doing a horrible imitation of a woman's voice.

Aerith let out a poorly muffled laugh from beneath the hand she had placed over her mouth. "P-Percival?!" She asked, trying not to laugh harder.

"YEAH!!! PERCIVAL!!! Can ya believe it?! Rude's name is actually Percival!!! How retarded is that for a name!?!?! I've known 'Percy' almost all our damn lives and I always thought his name was Rude!!! The jerk was holdin out on me!!!" Reno practically shouted.

She couldn't help but laugh along with Reno, but as she did she shot Rude an apologetic glance as if to say 'I'm sorry, but I can't help myself!' with her eyes.

"Maybe I didn't tell you 'cuz you can't keep your big mouth shut." Rude, (Or Percival if you prefer his given name.), grumbled.

Aerith and Reno continued to laugh the rest of the way to Hojo's classroom, though Aerith really did try to control herself.

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"Gainsborough! A word!!!" Hojo's voice was sharp and irritated as he caught Aerith just as she walked through the door.

Reno and Rude looked at her with concern and a certain silver-haired classmate stared up at her from where he was sitting with interest. Aerith waved the two Turks off to their desk, (Which was right in front of where she and Sephiroth sat), and smiled when she saw Rude place her things on the table where she sat and Reno give her a thumbs up. She steeled herself for whatever the "Good Doctor" would have to say to her and wore an unreadable expression.

"Your mother stopped by this morning before school and DARED to accuse ME of harassing YOU! Have you been spreading lies about me to your mummy?! Think she can make me be nice to her precious iddle pookums? Think again, you little pest. You may be the spawn of that disgraceful Gast, but I don't have to show you or your bitchy mother any respect. Learn your place, you little brat!!!" Hojo hissed so ferverently that spittle was coming out of his mouth.

Aerith was just about to defend her parents but she didn't get the chance as she felt someone walk up and stand behind her. Hojo looked past her at the figure and his scowl deepened considerably. Aerith couldn't help but turn her head to see just who had walked up and was surprised to see Sephiroth towering over her. And he looked livid.

"Well, what do you want, Sephiroth?!" Hojo demanded, trying not to appear intimidated.

"It would be in your best interest not to UPSET our little aquaintance. She has quite the VIOLENT temper, or so I've heard. We wouldn't want some sort of INCIDENT to take place." Sephiroth growled, putting emphasis on certain words and, it seemed, sending some sort of hidden message to Hojo.

The snakelike teacher slinked back a few steps and glared daggers at Aerith, as if blaming her for Sephiroth picking on him. The girl in question was in shock from Sephiroth coming to her aid. It didn't register when his hand touched her shoulder and he navigated her back to her seat gently and she seemed lost in her own little world until he said "You're welcome." in a low grumble.

She blinked up at him a few times and then nodded her head with silent thanks before begining to write down notes. She didn't notice that Sephiroth was still looking at her or the miniscule lifting of the corners of his mouth, but Sephiroth seemed to notice everything about her in that strange moment.

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Aerith entered the cafeteria in a daze, her mind still trying to wrap around the events that had transpired earlier. Therefore it was a complete shock when she was suddenly grabbed by several hands and dragged toward the table where she sat, which appeared empty.

"You will tell us EVERYTHING!" Came a familiar female voice.

"I can't believe this is happening! I'm not sure if you're lucky or doomed." Another familiar female voice muttered.

Aerith was pushed into a seat and then surrounded by her female friends as they filed in around her. Tifa, Elena, Jessie, Yuffie, and even Shelke stared at her expectantly. Aerith gulped and looked at the table, surprised to see a lunch tray holding all the same foods she had bought the day before waiting to be eaten.

"Yeah... Shelke got your lunch for you so that we wouldn't have to wait while you were in line to hear." Yuffie explained.

"Thank you?" Aerith said, though it came out as more of a question.

"N-P.", (No Problem), said/spelled Shelke.

"So dish already! What is going on between you and Atilla the Hunk?!" Jessie demanded, leaning in toward Aerith so close that she could see Jessie's freckles.

"Err... huh?" Aerith asked articulatley.

"I heard from Rude and Reno about Sephiroth defending you from Hojo. Something is going on and we want to know what!" Elena explained impatiently.

"Spill." Tifa said plainly.

Aerith blushed bright red and stared at her food some more. Meanwhile Shelke looked at her watch and scribbled a note down on a napkin then passed it to Jessie. Jessie read it and gave an evil grin.

"Hold up on the story... I've gotta take care of a trio of pests." Jessie smiled as she pulled out what looked like a computer joystick and gleefully pressed the red button at the top of it.

A muffled boom was heard over the cacophany of student voices and then an unholy girlish scream rang through the air. Jessie stashed the detonator and smiled innocently. She waved at Aerith to start talking while continuing to appear nonchalant.

"Where are all the guys that sit with us?" Aerith managed to ask, wanting to put off the interrogation.

"Oh, we sent them to videotape the wonder clones reactions when the stink bombs went off." Tifa said with a wave of her hand.

"Enough stall tactics... Tell us!!!!" Yuffie whined.

Aerith prayed for another distraction and apparently a higher power was listening. Three blurrs of silver and black rushed through the cafeteria doors and stopped around her. The Zealots stared down at her looking hungry for her blood and they smelled to high heaven.

"OH GOOD GOD!!! YOU GUYS REEK!!!" Yuffie screamed, covering her nose like everyone else already had.

"You did this..." Kadaj seethed as Yazoo hung onto his arm and sobbed. Loz was staring at Tifa...'s chest.

Aerith looked up at them with bewilderment and pity. "I'm sorry... But I didn't do this." She said softly.

"LIAR!!! YOU LIAR!!!! YOU WERE JEALOUS OF MY BEAUTY AND TRIED TO SABOTAGE ME AND MY FRIENDS!!! I'M ONTO YOU!!" Yazoo shrieked dramatically.

"I'm sorry, but I really didn't do this... May be you should go to the nurse. She might be able to help with the smell..." Aerith tried to be civil.

"Smell?" Loz asked, then sniffed himself. Upon not smelling anything he leaned over and sniffed Kadaj's hair. As Kadaj swatted him away he said, "I don't smell anything..."

"Probably because the message hasn't reached your tiny brain yet..." Elena smirked.

Loz shrugged, not about to argue.

"Are these wannabe's bothering you, Aerith?" Rufus had walked over and stood behind the Zealots, flanked by the male Turks.

"You pathetic moron! YOU'RE the wannabe. You WISH you could be HALF as great as Lord Sephiroth!" Kadaj barked as he whirled around to face the boss Turk.

"Hey now, you shut the hell up. Your pimp ain't got nothing on the boss!!!" Reno growled, stomping over and getting up in Kadaj's face.

A dark laugh came from the opposite side of the table where Aerith was sitting. Sephiroth took a bite of an apple and looked up at the spectacle before him from where he was seated. While attention had been focused on the Zealots and the Turks he had slipped into the chair accross from Aerith and watched everything take place. Aerith's face didn't seem to know if it should blush or pale, so it somehow did both. Meanwhile Rufus glared down at his rival angrily.

"Looks like I'm not the only one with fangirls..." Sephiroth chuckled.

Aerith sank down in her seat and occaisionally took a bite of her meal. Rufus stormed up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders possessively. The girls were totally engrossed in the show and one of them had even passed around a bag of popcorn. Reno and Kadaj were still staring each other down.

"This is all your fault, you bastard. Your little cult has been terrorizing Aerith almost as much as you have!" Rufus shouted.

"Uh."

"Oh really? And I suppose you and your entourage haven't been stalking her and harassing her?" Sephiroth asked.

"Uh."

"We are protecting her from the likes of you and your clones!" Rufus defended.

"Hey."

"I see. So then you aren't TRYING to play hero to your little damsel in distress in hopes that she'll be so grateful as to... Say... Fall in love with you?" Sephiroth asked, looking pleased with himself.

"Guys?"

"That really isn't any of your business, now is it?!" Rufus spluttered, his cheeks turning pink.

"Hello."

"Oh, but I think it is..." Sephiroth smiled deviously.

"Um."

Rufus looked as if he'd just been slapped but then his look of shock was replaced by one of rage. "You stay the hell away from her, you sick pervert!!!!" Rufus roared as he went to lunge at Sephiroth from over the table... And Aerith. Sephiroth simply waited patiently for Rufus to strike him, and then he would bring on the pain.

"WILL YOU GUYS STOP IT!?!?! PLASE!?!?!?!" Aerith screamed. All her earlier feeble attempts to interrupt their argument had failed, so before they tried to kill each other she resorted to shouting.

THAT got their attention. Suddenly all eyes were on her and she took a deep breath and tried not to sweat.

"Okay... Nobody is really harassing me or anything. Sephiroth is sort of my... uh... friend." Aerith said. Sephiroth looked just as shocked as Rufus for a moment. "And Rufus is my friend. And the Zealots are... um... kinda my friends in a weird way. And the Turks are my friends. So... uh... I'm fine. And if you could all just... y'know... be nice to each other... That would really be great." Aerith managed to pull together a somewhat decent speech under pressure and let out the breath she'd been holding as everyone seemed to relax.

The bell suddenly rang and startled several people. Everyone was hesitant to make any movement, so Aerith did it for them. She gathered up all her trash on her tray, dumped it in the can, walked over and set her tray at the washing station, and then started to walk to her next class. She tried to remain calm under all the stares, but she did trip a few times and she was biting her lip all along.

"OKAY!!! SHOW IS OVER!!! EVERYBODY CLEAN UP!!!!" Yuffie shouted, stirring everyone from their paralysis. Suddenly the cafeteria was alive again as the students went about their business. Sephiroth sent one more evil grin at Rufus before getting up and walking off. He tossed his partially eaten apple back over his shoulder and grinned when he heard Rufus let out a pained cry as the apple made contact with Rufus' head.

"For the love of God... go take a bath!!!" Yuffie wailed at the Zealots, who remained in shock. She picked up a chair and started driving them back with it like a lion tamer.

"I'm not sure even a dip in the Lifestream will get rid of that unholy odor..." Jessie grinned.

"Nice work." Elena said and Tifa gave Jessie a painful pat on the back.

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Jenova looked up at Aerith from the magazine she had on her desk and nodded as Aerith entered and walked over to her desk. The rest of the class filed in slowly and Tifa and Elena took their seats around her. Neither one dared to speak while Jenova was in the room. There was no telling what the teacher would do.

Elena passed Aeith a note while Jenova wasn't looking and then went back to scribbling her English notes down. Aerith stealthily unfolded the note and read:

Change of plans with the sleepover. It'll be at my place tomorrow night and the rest of the girls are coming too. We have to know what is going on with you and Sephiroth!

Aerith looked over at Elena and nodded softly. She'd never dreaded a sleepover party this much in her entire life. She distracted herself with copying notes and avoided eye contact with either of her friends.

About midway through class anothe girlish scream echoed through the school, only this time it wasn't made by Yazoo.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!! MY HAIR IS NOT AN ASHTRAY!!! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!?!?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYY!?!?!?!?!" Wailed Cloud's anguished voice.

The whole class laughed quietly as Jenova sighed and tapped the chalk against the blackboard to shut them up.

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Rude was waiting patiently for Aerith when the bell rang and took her books without a word.

"I'm really sorry I laughed about your name, Rude. It's a good name, I guess" She tried to smooth things over with her friend.

"S'ok... I know it's a dumb name. My mom named me after her father so it means a lot to her" Rude explained.

"Aww... That's so sweet" Aerith cooed.

"Not really. My grandpa was kind of an ass..." Rude deadpanned.

Aerith blinked up at him and decided to drop the subject, opting to ask about the others Turks to see if she could get dirt on Elena and Tseng. She wasn't exactly planning to hook them up, but if she had evidence she felt she might be able to persuade one of them to make a move. Besides, what's a little snooping for the sake of true love?

They stopped talking as they neared Cid's classroom. Shouting could be heard and curiousity overcame them as they approached.

"Why would you do this?! It's my hair, MY HAIR!!! You could've burned my scalp or... I don't know... Something else bad!!!" Cloud wailed as Aerith stepped into the room and slowly went to her seat.

"Ya needed a damn haircut anyway, blondie! Suck it up and move on!" Cid shouted back.

The room smelled like burnt hair and whisps of smoke were coming up from a blackened spike of Cloud's hairstyle. Cloud looked like he wasn't sure if he should kill Cid or go hide in a corner and cry. He glared one final time at the teacher before storming off while saying "I'm telling Shera!!!".

"You do that! And be sure to write her a bad poem so she knows how you feel and that you are expressing yourself!!!" Cid shouted after the student, though he looked worried.

The bell rang and he forgot about his dilemmna for the moment. He called roll and was happy to see that Rude had pulled his bushy hair back into a very tight ponytail. Obviously the Turk feared that his hair would possibly suffer the same fate as Cloud's. What made the sight special, however, was that he had used Aerith's bright pink scrunchie.

"Love the new look, Percy. Pink is certainly your color" Cid laughed as he lit up another cigar and started the lesson.

Aerith heard Rude growl behind her and felt bad that the only hair accesory she had was pink. It seemed as if things with Rude would need to be smoothed over once again.

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Author's Note:

I'M SO SORRY!!!! I got a job and so I haven't really been able to write in a while. I'm also planning a wedding, (November 10th, yay!), and I have... Jury duty. I was originally going to make this just as long as the first chapter, but I haven't got half as much time as I used to, and y'all have waited long enough. Please forgive any and all spelling and grammar errors; My editor is on a break for school. Myst, come back soon! Anyway, tell me how much you love it and re-inspire me with reviews. I'm totally open to suggestions and I might just create a pairing if enough people suggest it. Anyway, have a good time, bare with me, and please review!!!!

P.S.

If you want to reach me via Gaia Online my screename is SunnyHinata.


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